Pirates of the Haunted Mansion
by Mlle. Phoenix Fox
Summary: Haunted Mansion retelling wPOTC: JackOC romance! What if our dashing pirate Captain and the Turners got dropped off in the 21st century and the only way to get back was by going to a Haunted Mansion?
1. Chapter 1

**_A/N: Okay, started this two years ago when Haunted Mansion first came out. Stupid computer deleted my first draft. It got me discouraged but I picked it up again. But this is a tad better. Now if I can only get reveiws to motivate me to finish it by...Halloween maybe? (Hint hint, nudge nudge) Anywho, the idea behind this fic was, what if the best Disney flick ever intergrated with one of the (not worst) but flawed Disney flicks? Don't get me wrong, I like Haunted Mansion, but I'm just saying it could have been more suspenseful, a little creepier to made it better. Worked with POTC... So read, review and tell me if I had a good idea._**

**_Disclaimer: I don't own POTC or Haunted Mansion. Disney does. And this is basically a retelling of Haunted Mansion with POTC, even had the orginal dialoge put in. Don't own that either. However, I do own my original character Stacey St. Claire (who yes is the same name I used for my Haunted Mansion fic and yes this will feature Jack/OC romance! What else?) This is just an attepmt to enrich the Haunted Mansion story. Again, I own nothing but what came out my imagination._**

**_peace, love and lipgloss, _**

**_Mlle. Fox_**

Pirates of the Haunted Mansion

"STOP! IN THE NAME OF THE KING!" yelled the redcoats that were chasing after none other than the infamous Captain Jack Sparrow. Dodging fruit carts and carriages, receiving shrieks of fear and ecstasy from members of the gentle sex and curses and praise from men, rich and poor, Jack ran through the marketplace of Port Royal, Jamaica looking for an escape. He found it when a poor tinker gave him a boost up a wall overlooking an alley. He bowed his thanks to the common merchant, but after a bullet whizzed past his nose, he jumped over the other side. The soldiers soon climbed over as well, but there was nothing to be found in the alley save a few old discarded crates and barrels in a corner.

"Come lads! He must have gone this way!" cried one solider to his companions. When they had gone out the alley looking for the dastardly pirate, said pirate crawled out of his hiding place from behind the pile of crates. When he stood to brush himself off, he detected an odor most fowl. He put his nose to his coat sleeve, scrunching his nose in protest. He looked to the trash he had been hiding in and saw the faded paint on the crates read "CAVIER".

"And really bad eggs..." he sang to himself. He leaned his back against the wall for a moment to catch his breath and to inspect the latest item he had 'borrowed without permission." Taking the ornate silver mirror out of his pocket, he reflected on the early morning escapade that had led him to this trinket.

_"Whom do you seek, pirate?" an old crackled voice had called softly from the large canopy bed. Jack had whirled around in surprise to see the old wrinkled woman who was said to be a gypsy, in her bed wide awake. He had sworn she was asleep._

_"Sorry Madame! Thought this was my house!" lied Jack, his speech slurred as if drunk. _

_"Liar. I know you came here to steal my late husband's old treasure map." she said. Suddenly sober, Jack furrowed his brow and said, _

_"How did you know...?" _

_"I know the one you seek pirate." she said. Amused, Jack grinned and tucked his thumbs into his belt asking, _

_"And who would that be, Madame?" _

_"The one who will capture your heart with song, the one who will take your breath away, the one who will set your body aflame with desire, the one who'll give you what the Black Pearl can't give back." she had said. Defensive, Jack said, _

_"The Pearl gives me everything!" _

_"Even love to treasure, Captain?" she asked. Flustered and angry, Jack had taken the silver hand mirror off the dressing table and held it up saying, _

_"This is all the treasure I'll ever need!" Ready to leave, Jack had started towards the open window when the old woman stopped him saying, _

_"Listen to what I say. Recite the mirror's inscription if that be thy choice. Defy time and place to find what the soul must seek, but return home again before the next full moon descends from its peak. A broken curse, reunited love, and first love found is what awaits you in this journey's day!" When she finished, Jack faced her and said, _

_"There once was a man from Nantucket!" And with a mock bow in her direction, Jack climbed out the window where he came from and ran straight into the patrolling guard. _

Sighing out of his memories, Jack looked at the reflection of the man in the mirror. A handsome, tanned face with square jaw and high cheekbones and dark brown eyes lined with kohl met his gaze but when he started to smile, his face dropped at the sight of his metallic teeth, plaited goatee and the strand of trinkets that caught his eye. Tucking the mirror back into his pocket, he muttered to himself,

"Who'd want to love a pirate?" Determined to get rid of the cause of his current grievances, Jack dashed out the alley and made his way to the Governor's mansion that looked down at the village from it's spot on the hill.

Two-hundred years later...

The guest of the young New Orleans heir danced and twirled in expensive ball gowns and rich suits at the grandest masque of the year. There was even rumor that the young heir would run away with his fiancé that night. The young man was enjoying his party when his manservant delivered a note from his lady. As the clock struck twelve, the young man read the note and in a panic dashed through the crowd in the grand foyer towards the library. He opened the door and gasped in shock. There was his beautiful young love slumped over the settee, dead. A glass of spilled wine just beyond her gloved reach. He gathered her in his arms beginning to sob profusely, and then carried the young woman up the stairs trying to control his tears as his guest stood in a stunned silence. In a darkened room, a mysterious woman sat over a glowing crystal ball chanting,

"_Bad luck had fallen this night and now all present will not find the light. A curse has fallen, only to be lifted when truth revealed and lost souls set free, when true love is reunited and evil undone, now let my words be true, let them be!" _

The next morning, the guests woke to find the maid screaming at the discovery of her master hanging from the bell tower with a broken neck. He was dead.

Two hundred years earlier,

The guests of Governor Weatherby Swann had all turned out to dance and twirl in their expensive ball gowns and rich suits at the grandest wedding of the year. His young daughter Elizabeth had just married the town's most promising young blacksmith, William Turner. The young man went to look for his bride when he heard a noise from the library. He opened the door and gasped in shock. There was his best friend, Captain Jack Sparrow grinning wickedly at him from the settee. A bottle of confiscated wine half drunk just beyond his reach on the end table.

"JACK!" cried Will in surprise.

"Hello, William. Tonight's the night to prove you ain't a eunuch ain't it!" Will smiled and closed the door behind him and said,

"I'm not a eunuch. I'm a pirate who could very well beat you at swordplay, providing you don't cheat of course!" Jack stood and said with a humored voice,

"Pirate? Or dandy!" He circled the younger man who shook his head, admiring his fine black silk gentleman's suit. Finally, with his back to the door, Jack said,

"What that Elizabeth sees in you is beyond me!"

"Well it is not beyond me!" said a cultured feminine voice from the door. Both men turned their attention to the tall, thin beautiful young woman with honey colored locks curled at the top of her head, her sun kissed skin complimented gorgeously by her white wedding gown.

"Do I get to kiss the bride?" asked Jack with seduction in his voice. Elizabeth laughed and stepped forward to hug him,

"You're despicable!" But then she pushed him back with disgust on her face,

"And you smell even worst than usual!"

"Apologies Madame Turner, but I was detained from proper grooming from my acquisition of your wedding present!" said Jack presenting with half a bow and tons of flourish the silver hand mirror. Taking it, Elizabeth said,

"Oh it's beautiful!...You didn't steal it did you?"

"Now milady, would I do a terrible thing like that?" asked Jack.

"Yes!" answered the Turners dryly.

"Oh. Well Robert's your Uncle then." said Jack. As Elizabeth shrugged and went to look at the mirror in the light of the window, Will asked,

"So how did you manage to sneak past Norrington and his guard this time?"

"Son...I'm Captain Jack Sparrow!...Savvy?"

"Paid the help?" asked Will.

"Kissed the maid into distraction!" said Jack.

"Ah!" nodded Will.

"So when will you two set off for your honeymoon?" asked Jack.

"Tomorrow morning." said Will.

"Ain't you going to tell me where?" asked Jack.

"Nope!" said Will.

"Spoilsport! Well, it looks like you've packed everything!" said Jack starting to dig around a wooden crate full of objects on the desk. Will slapped Jack's hand away from the box to which Jack gave a rather comical look as Elizabeth said,

"That isn't ours at least not anymore. Father sold a few of my old toys to a family called Gracey moving to Nova Scotia next week."

"When next week?" asked Jack.

"I'm not telling you!" said Elizabeth trying to decipher the engraving on the back of the mirror.

"Spoilsport!" pouted Jack. Elizabeth knitted her brows in concentration as she read aloud,

"Recite the mirror's inscription if that be thy choice. Defy time and place to find what the soul must seek, but return home again before the next full moon descends from its peak..." In fright, Jack turned to her and said,

"NO!" Dropping the mirror in surprise, Elizabeth said,

"What?"

"Did anyone hear the mirror break?" asked Will hesitantly. They all looked down, Elizabeth gasping when she saw the mirror floating a foot off the ground. As the mirror began to rise higher and higher, Elizabeth joined her husband who hissed at Jack,

"What did you do!" Before he could answer, Jack's eyes widened when the mirror spilt in two and began to glow bright green, its glass cracking and getting larger and larger. As thunder rumbled and bolts of light appeared, they began to back up towards the door with Jack saying,

"Perhaps we should make good our exit!" They turned to run out when a great wind picked up lifting Elizabeth off the ground and towards the massive mirror.

"WILL!"

"ELIZABETH!" shouted Will going back to grab onto her hand. Jack grabbed onto Will trying to pull them both back. Just as they were about to succeed, Jack heard the old woman's voice in his ear say,

_"I know the one you seek, pirate!" _And with that, the wind lifted all three of them off the ground and into one half of the mirror, the other disappearing. The half-mirror rippled and then shrunk to normal size once more. If floated down inside the box on the desk, just as the Governor peeked his head in the library calling,

"Elizabeth? William? Are you in here? I thought I heard yelling?" Then he shrugged and returned to his guests.

Two hundred years later...

"AAAAAAHHHHH!" yelled the paperboy who sped away into the Louisiana dirt road on his dirt bike, leaving a trail of advertisement flyers behind to be picked up by the wind. He left behind an imposing manor, which he had been warned about by other paperboys who refused to go that route. Inside, an old butler entered a library full of books with a silver tray on his hand. He stopped by a wing backed chair next to the roaring fire and said in a distinguished voice that rolled it's 'r's and pronounced every syllable,

"I do believe I have something of interest that may cheer the Master today!" The man in the chair said in sarcastic despair,

"The Master doubts that!" The servant lowered the tray and the young man picked up the advertisement flyer to read, "EVERS AND EVERS REAL ESTATE...WHERE EVERYTHING WE TOUCH TURNS TO _SOLD!_" Next to the words, was pictured a couple of black people. A man grinning like an idiot, and a beautiful young woman who looked very familiar...

"ELIZABETH!" cried the man in surprise.

Meanwhile, on a deserted part of a beach, a green vortex opened in the sky hurling three figures into the sand. A few minutes later, Will woke up with a groan clutching his head. As he got up, he remembered his wife and cried,

"ELIZABETH!" Hearing a woman groan a few feet away, he rushed over and kneeled over her. After being shaken a bit, Elizabeth sat up in pain as Will asked,

"Darling, are you alright?"

"I will be once I kill that bloody pirate!" she said in a hiss. Her hand found the half-mirror in the sand and she in turn tucked it into her pocket. They got up and walked over to the next sand dune where they found Jack lying face down in the sand. As they glared down at him, he held his head up spitting sand out of his mouth saying,

"I hate gypsies!" A few minutes later, Jack was heading towards the glow coming from over the sand dunes on the early morning beach with Elizabeth following and Will barking in his ear,

"But we don't even know where we are! How do you expect us to just walk into some town we don't know?"

"Well if we act drunk we'll blend right in Savvy? 'Sides, one town is the same as any other right?" answered Jack. No sooner had he said those words, he regretted them, for they reached the top of the hill and gapped in wonder at the massive buildings of glass and stone that scraped the sky, and glowed with lights a thousand times brighter than any candle. Strange metal vehicles traveled along the black stone roads with no horses to pull them as a large metal contraption making a lot of noise flew over their heads, the propellers on top blowing their hair about all over the place. When the flying machine had gone, Elizabeth folded her arms and said condensing to Jack,

"You were saying?"

"That's interesting!" said Jack in a confused daze.


	2. Chapter 2

**_A/N: Hey guys! I'm glad you like this story so far...but keep up the reviews, K? And please, PLEASE review my Labyrinth/POTC fics. I know you guys are reading them, I've seen the hit list!In this chapter, we'll start to get more into the Haunted Mansion plotline but the big news is we'll meet my OC and Jack's love interest! So I really want to know what ya'll think of her, K?_**

**_On a serious note, I just want to offer up a quick pray for the families of 9-11 today. It's probably been really hard for them. Also I just want God to lift up all the Hurrican Katrina evacuees. I pray for their comfort, for them to find strenght, and most of all, for them to get home. Amen._**

**_This chapter, is dedicated to the evacuees of the state of Sweet Home Alabama._**

**_peace, love and lipgloss, _**

**_Mlle.Fox_**

"It's love isn't it? Sometimes you just walk into a house and you take one look around and you know! And you say 'This is for me!" said New Orleans realtor Jim Evers. The blonde woman in glasses looking out the window sighing and said,

"Ah! I think it's perfect! It's just what we've been looking for!" Her husband across the room looked around and said,

"There aren't enough plugs!" Jim stood next to him and interjected,

"Hey wait now, Mr. Coleman, that place I showed you on Sycamore Street, was absouluty positively loaded with plugs!"

"That's right! There were plenty!" said Mrs. Coleman aggravated.

"Ah but the steps were too high! When we get older, we could trip!" argued Mr. Coleman going over to his wife.

"Ever house we look at you find something to pick at!" she said.

"I just know what I like!"

"Would you like a divorce? 'Cause I'll bring it!" she threatened. Not wanting to break up another fight between them or get another bloody nose, Jim stopped them saying,

"Hey, hey, hey, hey! No need for that! Let me explain something to you. I'm going to find this house for you. I am totally committed to finding the perfect house for you. I don't care how long it takes! Because at Evers and Evers, we want you to be happy forEvers, and Evers!" Chuckling at his own joke, Jim answered his ringing cell phone and said,

"Oh excuse me one second, let me take this call! Sorry, I'm so sorry! Hello, Evers and Evers Real Estate, Jim Evers!"

"_Hi honey! How's it going? Do they like the house?" _said his wife Sara on the headset phone in her car.

"'_**Sara! Perfect timing baby! You are going to help me close this deal**!" _thought Jim. He said,

"Ah yes, this house still is available!"

"_Oh, I knew it! I told you they were lookie-lous!"_ said Sara.

"Another interested party, excuse me one sec!" said Jim turning away from the Coleman's.

_"Listen! I'm on my way home to fix dinner. And I'm really looking forward to Friday night!" _hinted Sara.

"Well, are you preapproved?" asked Jim in their special code.

_"Yeah, the reservation's at seven on Friday! So don't be late!" _warned Sara.

"Well seven is perfect! Let's get together Friday at seven and we'll go over your offer!" said Jim.

_"Ok, honey. I'll see you later!"_ said Sara.

"See? See what you did!" said Mrs. Coleman punching her husband in the stomach as Jim hung up. She continued,

"We love the house! We do! We love it!"

"Well then Mrs. Coleman. Taking that into consideration, there's only one thing left to do. Let's sign some papers!" said Jim stepping forward to produce a pen for Mrs. Coleman's eager hand to snatch up.

Meanwhile, back on the beach Jack and the Turners hid under an abandoned dock watching people show up to come swim in the ocean and sunbath on the sand. To the shock of the Turners and the delight of Jack, they saw people strip down to colorful pieces of undergarment to go for a dip, becoming especially shocked at the young women. Will sighed and muttered to himself,

"Some honeymoon this is!"

"Oh, Will. Don't blame yourself. Blame Jack!" glared Elizabeth towards the pirate's direction. Jack turned from his observations of the beach to snap at her,

"Begging Milady's pardon I delayed her night of wedded bliss, but I am trying to get us home Savvy?"

"How?" asked Elizabeth desperately.

"I'm working on that!" sighed Jack turning back to the beach. When he saw three people of his group's shape and size discard their outerwear to go for a dip in the ocean, Jack rushed forward to their blanket and gathered up the clothes, only to rush back a second later. Depositing a large empty canvas duffle bag with a shoulder strap next to him, he passed out the clothing saying,

"First, we've got to look like the natives, Savvy?"

"But Jack, won't they miss these?" asked Will.

"Probably. This is why we must empty the pockets and dash outta here!" said Jack taking off his coat and vest. Blushing, Elizabeth said shyly,

"I'll change behind that rock over there!" Watching her with longing, Will turned back to his friend who was taking his shirt off with a sly grin.

"What?" asked Will.

"You'll never make it through the night, whelp!" chuckled Jack. A few minutes later found Jack in a black leather coat that fell to a few inches above his knees, a comfortable white button up shirt, and a strange blue canvas material that made up the long pants. Will was in a similar pair of pants, but he had a short sleeve white pullover shirt and a smoke gray pea coat. A second later, Elizabeth came out with her head and curls down clutching her wedding dress to her chest that was covered up by a shirt similar to Will's but it was pink with the word 'Foxy' in purple letters. She had a lighter blue canvas pants that hugged her curves, and a light purple canvas jacket on as well. They were all wearing their own footwear, with Jack opting to leave his tricorn hat and sword with the rest of their clothes in the bag.

"Do I look alright?" asked Elizabeth uncertainly. Stopping Jack from making a rude remark, Will stepped forward and said,

"Beautiful! As always!" Elizabeth smiled as she handed Will her dress to put in the bag,

"Well at least these women have done away with ruddy corsets!" As Elizabeth checked her face in the mirror, Will asked Jack,

"So now what?"

"Now we figure out where we are and where we need to be to get home!" said Jack. The mirror began to glow in Elizabeth's hand as she said in fright,

"Will!" The men approached cautiously and looked into the mirror. Inside, images of landscapes could be seen until they finally settled on a dark and gloomy old house in the middle of a swamp.

"Where is that?" asked Will.

"That's where we need to be to get home!" said Jack. They gathered their things and entered the city, astounded by the complexity of well...everything. They came upon a newsstand and Jack stopped and said,

"Maybe we should read these papers to find out where we are!" They started to look around when a round little man said to them in a strange dialect,

"Hey folks, this here ain't no library! Now you're either going to pay for something or ain't ya?" Jack held up his hands in defeat and smiled,

"Apologies sir! We shall be on our way!" He snatched the little book called 'Teen People' with some pretty boy named Orlando Bloom on the cover out of Will's hands and backed them away from the stand. Looking back, Jack checked to make sure the man wasn't watching, when he pulled a newspaper from under his coat.

"Jack! You stole that!" whispered Will.

"Pirate! Now let's see, according to this, we are in a town called Mobile, Alabama, USA, and today is Wednesday, October tenth...2005?" cried Jack in surprise. They all stopped as Elizabeth said,

"We jumped forward over three hundred years!"

"Shh!" said Jack.

"What do we do now?" asked Will. Stopping at a place called, "Southern Fried", Jack smelled delicious aromas and said,

"We eat!"

Inside, they sat at a booth while a middle-aged waitress with messy blond-gray hair came up to them with a pad and paper saying,

"Ok, kids. What'll ya have?" Jack fished out the handful of shillings he did have and asked,

"Will this get us anything?" Examining one of the coins, the waitress said,

"Yeah, once you take it to a pawn shop!"

"Beg your pardon?" asked Jack as she handed the coin back to Jack.

"My husband collects old coins like this. These can be worth up to two-hundred dollars a piece! Look, how about some coffee for now and one of you can go get those traded at the pawn shop on the corner? Just tell them Ethel sent ya!" she said. Elizabeth asked,

"Do you have any tea?'

"Tea?" asked Ethel. Standing, Jack shot Elizabeth a look that said,

"Don't push your luck!" and then he said to Ethel,

"Ethel me dear, that sounds like a brilliant idea! Drinks all around!"

"How do you take your coffee?" she asked her bright blue eyes twinkling.

"In a cup?" asked Jack.

"Decaf?' she asked.

"Decaf?" asked Jack.

"Decaf it is!" said Ethel walking away. Jack shrugged and said,

"Right then! I'm going to find this pawn shop and get these coins traded!"

"At least we don't have to worry about money!" said Elizabeth sighing in relief.

"But do you think you'll get a lot for those Jack?" asked Will skeptically.

"Son, I'm Captain Jack Sparrow!"

Later, Will was counting out the hundred dollar bills while Elizabeth finished her third helping of pancakes. Jack read aloud from a map he had picked up,

"Alright, we are here on the Gulf of Mexico and Jamaica is waaayyyy over here!"

"Eight-hundred..." said Will.

"So we are looking for a rich plantation in a swamp right?" asked Elizabeth with her mouth full.

"Right, and if I remember my cartography lessons correctly, The areas closest to here that are full of swampland are the New Orleans colony and the State of Florida." said Jack.

"Eleven-hundred..." said Will.

"Cartography? Since when did you study cartography?" asked Elizabeth amused. Jack's eyes grew with panic before calming down and saying,

"Anyway, Florida seems to be no longer occupied by the Spanish, so we can go to either one!"

"But how do we choose?" asked Elizabeth.

"Fifteen hundred..." Will said. Jack thought a moment before saying,

"Hand me that mirror!" Giving it to him, Elizabeth said,

"Why?"

"Maybe if we look again, we can spot some clues...let's see, anyone looking?" he asked.

"No..." said Elizabeth.

"Two-thousand..." said Will. Looking into the glowing mirror, Jack said,

"Ok, I see the ocean, houses, trees, and a boat...with paddle wheels?"

"Paddle wheels? What are those?" asked Elizabeth.

"And now I just saw a group of musicians leading a funeral...and everyone was dancing!" said Jack.

"What kind of place are we going to?" asked Elizabeth.

"Twenty-five hundred! What'd I miss?" asked Will.

"Shh!" said Elizabeth as Ethel came over with the check.

"Here you are! And I included my tip in there for ya!" she said.

"Thank ye...tell us Ethel my dove, where might we fight a boat with paddle wheels and musicians leading a funeral where everyone is dancing?" asked Jack smoothly giving her a one-hundred dollar bill.

"Why, New Orleans of course!" said Ethel laughing and walking away.

"New Orleans it is!" said Jack with a grin.

"But how do we get there?" asked Will as Ethel came back with their change.

"Why Sugar if you need transportation you can just rent a car across the street!" offered Ethel.

"Thank ye Ethel my angel!" said Jack giving her a wink. As she went off, they looked out the window and saw one of those strange horseless metal carriages.

"Jack we don't know how to drive one of those things!" whispered Will.

"Mate I'm Captain Jack Sparrow! I can drive anything!" protested Jack.

"Jack!" said Will. Rolling his eyes, Jack said,

"Ok, maybe we need someone who knows how to drive one of those things! But where are we going to find somebody?" asked Jack.

"Well can't we just get a boat and sail to New Orleans? It's on the coast!" asked Elizabeth.

"I don't know these waters! 'Sides, I have a feeling that if they're carriages improved, so did their boats which means we couldn't even steal a boat and sail her proper! We have to go by land!" said Jack

"But where are we going to get someone to take us that far?" asked Will. Thinking it over, Jack called Ethel over and asked,

"Ethel my pet, where would there be a pub that sailors or drivers go to forget the worries of the world around here, aye?"

"Lord, you are a smooth one ain't ay? You can go to the Ruff and Tumble Honky Tonk Bar near the pier on the other side of town. Truckers and fishers stop by there all the time!" answered Ethel. All standing they started to leave as Jack kissed Ethel on the cheek and said,

"Ethel luv, that husband of yours is a lucky man!"

"Get outta here! Bye bye now!" waved Ethel with an extra skip in her step. They spent the rest of the day walking across town, but they finally found the Ruff and Tumble Honky Tonk Bar by the pier.

"So let me get this straight, your plan is to commission a sailor or a driver to take us to New Orleans?" asked Will. Stopping just as two drunks fell out the front door, Jack said,

"Yeah!"

"Well at least you have a plan!" said Will helping Elizabeth step over the two men and into the bar. There was a loud rocking music with a flat tone to it filling the air. Trying to find a table, Jack bumped into a drunken man who spilled his beer on Jack's sleeve and slurred out,

"OH! Pardon me! I'm sorry! Here let me get that for ya! (HIC)"

"Really mate its fine!" said Jack trying to lose the man.

"Gee I feel just teribable, terribible...real bad...say you've got a great face, you ever thought of going into movies?" asked the man getting too close.

"Never crossed my mind!" said Jack. Tucking a business card into Jack's coat pocket, the man said,

"Will if you ever want to get into show biz, there's my card! Let's do lunch!" As the man walked away, Jack shrugged and found the Turners sitting down at a table in the center of the room. After ordering their drinks, Will asked,

"When will we start asking around?"

"Let's get a feel for the place first, Savvy?" asked Jack.

"You know Jack, I was thinking about that incantation. It said to return home before the next full moon descends from its peak. I looked outside and the moon was half full..." said Elizabeth. Darting his eyes side to side for a minute in thought, Jack stood and smiled saying,

"Right then...start working the room!" Jack went over to the bar and tried to talk to a man but he walked away, so Jack settled on the young brunette woman in the skimpy black top and tight pants giving him the eye. He sauntered over and said,

"Hello Luv!"

"Hey Handsome, never seen you in here before!" she flirted.

"Well I'm new in town. So, how much for a night of making a man feel welcome?" asked Jack in a sultry voice. She gasped and slapped him so hard he turned his face to the side. As she stomped away, Jack said,

"Not sure I deserved that!" As he rubbed his cheek, and flexed his jaw, the singer on stage finished her song and said to the audience,

"Thank you! For..." Then she saw the crowd watching the football game on TV and she continued sadly, "For not listening!...Ok, take five guys!" Jack watched in curiosity as the young woman started heading towards the ladies room, but she slowed by a box in the wall. She looked around, not seeing Jack watching her, and then she opened the box and pulled something out.

"AAAWWW!"

"What is that!" moaned the crowd as the TV went black. Jack couldn't help but grin as the woman shut the box and tuck the piece of metal in her cleavage and smirked in triumph. He liked that little smirk. And that little cleavage. He returned to the table with Elizabeth and Will staring into their drinks in defeat.

"No luck?" he asked taking a swig of his drink and liking this Captain Morgan more and more.

"It would seem every person here cannot find the time to go to New Orleans!" sighed Elizabeth.

"At least not for a few thousand dollars worth!" said Will. Jack shrugged and then turned his attention to the stage when he heard the young woman say,

"Are ya'll ready to rock?" The crowd gave some polite applause as the band started to tune their instruments. Jack looked over this petite young brunette with long wavy hair down to the small of her back. She was full figured but fit, her jeans hugging every curve. Her porcelain skin glowing under the stage lights, she smiled showing off the dimples in her cheek and the sparkle to her dusty blue-green eyes. She tapped her spiked heel patent leather boots that could easily kill a man to the up coming beat. Then the bass guitar started to play a repeating melody to which the crowd gave a great roar of approval.

"I guess they like this song!" yelled Will.

"Yeah, I'm Stacey St. Claire and I believe ya'll know this one!" said the singer getting into the feel of the room. She started to sing,

"Big wheels keep on turning  
Carry me home to see my kin  
Singing songs about the southland  
I miss alabamy once again  
And I think it's a sin, yes

Well I heard mister young sing about her  
Well, I heard ole Neil put her down  
Well, I hope Neil young will remember  
A southern man don't need him around anyhow"

The crowd began to sing along,

"Sweet home Alabama  
Where the skies are so blue  
Sweet home Alabama  
Lord, I'm coming home to you

In Birmingham they love the governor  
Now we all did what we could do  
Now Watergate does not bother me  
Does your conscience bother you?  
Tell the truth

Sweet home Alabama  
Where the skies are so blue  
Sweet home Alabama  
Lord, I'm coming home to you  
Here I come Alabama"

Jack and the Turners began to clap along with the crowd, starting to enjoy themselves.

"Now muscle shoals has got the swampers  
And they've been known to pick a song or two  
Lord they get me off so much  
They pick me up when I'm feeling blue  
Now how about you?

Sweet home Alabama  
Where the skies are so blue  
Sweet home Alabama  
Lord, I'm coming home to you

Sweet home Alabama  
Oh sweet home baby!  
Where the skies are so blue  
And the governor's true  
Sweet home Alabama  
Lordy Lord, I'm coming home to you  
Yea, yea Montgomery's got the answer"

The crowd exploded into applause as Stacey took a bow. Then another melody began to play, this time sending the women into a frenzy as Stacey began to sing,

"Well, I ain't never- been the Barbie doll type  
No, I can't swig that sweet Champagne, I'd rather drink beer all night  
In a tavern or in a honky tonk or on a four-wheel drive tailgate  
I've got posters on my wall of Skynyrd, Kid and Strait" Stacey began to walk offstage and into the crowd,

"Some people look down on me, but I don't give a rip  
I'll stand barefooted in my own front yard with a baby on my hip!" she sang slapping her hip very much to Jack's liking.  
"'cause I'm a redneck woman  
I ain't no high class broad  
I'm just a product of my raising  
I say, 'hey ya'll' and 'yee-haw'  
And I keep my Christmas lights on  
On my front porch all year long  
And I know all the words to every Charlie Daniels song  
So here's to all my sisters out there keeping it country  
Let me get a big 'hell yeah' from the redneck girls like me, hell yeah!"

"HELL YEAH!" repeated the crowd.

"Victoria's Secret, well their stuff's real nice" sang Stacey leaning on the shoulder of the big man next to Jack's table, giving Jack a nice view of her bottom.  
"But I can buy the same dang thing- on a Wal-Mart shelf half price  
And still look sexy, just as sexy" sang Stacey meeting Jack's gaze and shimming her shoulders, "as those models on TV" She came around the back of Jack's chair with him keeping his intense stare on her as she waved her finger and pointed to herself,  
"I don't need no designer tag- to make my man want me!  
Well, you might think I'm trashy," she shrugged here, "a little too hardcore  
But in my neck- of the woods," She climbed on the bar as she sang," I'm just the girl next door!"  
I'm a redneck woman  
I ain't no high class broad  
I'm just a product of my raising  
I say, " She slide down the bar singing, "'hey y'all' and 'yee-haw'!  
And I keep my Christmas lights on  
On my front porch all year long  
And I know all the words to every Tanya Tucker song  
So here's to all my sisters out there keeping it country  
Let me get a big 'hell yeah' from the redneck girls like me, hell yeah!" She got back to the stage and crouched down to a trucker in front taking his hat and putting it over her eyes singing,  
"I'm a redneck woman  
I ain't no high class broad  
I'm just a product of my raising  
I say," She shoved the hat back into the truckers face before standing and belting out, "'hey y'all' and 'yee-haw'!  
And I keep my Christmas lights on  
On my front porch all year long  
And I know all the words to every ol' Bocephus song  
So here's to all my sisters out there keeping it country  
Let me get a big 'hell yeah' from the redneck girls like me, hell yeah!"

"Hell yeah!" shouted Elizabeth with the crowd.

"Hell yeah!" sang Stacey.

"Hell yeah!" shouted the crowd.

"I said hell yeah!" finished Stacey taking in the roar of applause once more. Very out of character, Jack stood up and clapped shouting,

"Bravo! Bravo! Encore!" This left the Turners very confused as they exchanged looks. The owner of the bar came on the stage and said into the microphone,

"Hey, ya'll give a big ol' hand to Stacey St. Claire!" The audience complied as Stacey said in a slow melodious drawl,

"Thanks ya'll! Goodnight!" Just as Jack began to whistle, he heard in his ear,

"_The one who will capture your heart with song..." _He slowed his clapping and began to wonder...could this girl have something to do with getting back home? Deciding to investigate, Jack left the table, not answering the Turner's questions, and started making his way to the owner.

"Begging the gentleman's pardon, but may I have an introduction with that lovely young siren that graced your stage but a moment ago?" asked Jack.

"Huh? Oh, you lookin' fer Stacey? Yeah she's in the parking lot putting her stuff away!" said the owner thumbing towards the door. Jack tipping his fingers to his temple in thanks and went out in the mild Alabama air to find this intriguing woman. Sure enough, there she was trying to lift a heavy black box into the back of her jeep with a little black dog watching her over the back seat.

"Murray, I know chivalry is dead, but whatever happened to just plain ol' manners? See, anyone of those fellas in the band tonight, shoulda offered to help me load my junk if their mama's raised them right. Am I right?" Stacey asked her furry companion. Murray barked in agreement as Stacey sighed bending over to once again lift the speaker into her car. Then she heard a husky British Cockney over her shoulder say cockily,

"Right as rain Milady!" Murray barked his greeting to the newcomer as Stacey looked over her shoulder seeing the most attractive man she had ever seen leaning against her jeep with his slim frame, his solid arms folded over his chest, and his feet crossed over one another while being decked out in tan boots fit for a Musketeer. He had the wildest hair of dark brown resembling seaweed, tied back with a faded red bandana, and an intensive brown eyed stare that filled her with such desire, it terrified her. She stood up straight as he continued,

"Lovely view tonight, ain't it Luv?" She met his half smirk with one of her own and said,

"You better be talking about the Gulf of Mexico!" He straightened up to his full five inch, nine inch tall frame and picked up the speaker with ease saying,

"Allow me!" He put it gently into the back of her jeep as she said,

"Thank you, Mr...?"

"Jack Sparrow, at your service Luv!" said Jack not wanting to reveal himself as a ship's captain just yet. He took her hand and kissed the back as she laughed,

"Lord, you sure do know how to make a first impression don't ya?"

"I hope to make a lasting impression, if it's all the same to you!" he said.

"Well you're gettin' there darlin'!" she said.

"You certainly made a lasting impression in there. You were brilliant tonight." he said.

"Thank you. But if you don't mind, I've got to get going. I've got to be hitting the road!" she said starting to climb in the driver's side of the car.

"Probably best. After all you wouldn't want any inappropriate advances from men thinking that just 'cause you look and sing like an angel, you'll be innocent enough to accept their approaches and let them lead you down the wrong road." nodded Jack as she closed the door and said,

"Yeah, well nice meeting ya!" As she was getting her things situated, a knock came on the window. Stacey rolled down the window and asked Jack,

"May I help you?" He leaned on his elbow against the door and asked,

"May I have the honor of buying you a drink?"

"Didn't you just say that I didn't want any inappropriate advances from men?" she asked.

"My advances will never be inappropriate Milady." assured Jack.

"Well..." said Stacey contemplating this.

"Please?" he asked locking her gaze with a look that so resembled a puppy dog. And Stacey always was a dog person...

Fifteen minutes later, Stacey was drinking her bottled water as Will asked,

"So where are you from Miss St. Claire?"

"Call me Stacey. Anywho, I'm from Kentucky, but I feel as if I was raised in this area because I spent my summers with my Grandma in New Orleans." she answered not noticing the glances the Turners gave Jack at the sound of New Orleans. Taking a swig of his rum, Jack asked,

"And why would an enchanting creature such as yourself be doing singing for her supper, aye Luv?"

"Well, I want to get famous and travel the world. Ain't like I ain't got nothing else going for me." she said.

"Why not?" asked Elizabeth.

"Well, my parents died in a car wreck when I was sixteen, so I went to live with my Grandma for five years, then she died, so I had to spend all the money I had for college on a funeral which meant I had to drop out. So, me and Murray have been going round the south trying to break into showbiz for the past two years!" said Stacey pouring some of her water into a clean ashtray and sitting it on the ground for Murray to drink out of. Catching the world "showbiz", a crooked smile grew on Jack's lips as he took out the business card the drunk had given him earlier and said,

"Well life's funny like that I guess. As I was just saying to a Mr. Tony Brockton..." Stacey's head snapped up and her eyes went wide in shock as she stared at Jack and said,

"THE Tony Brockton? The big Nashville record producer!"

"That's what it says on this card. You know him?" he asked.

"KNOW HIM!" I've only been trying to get him to listen to me since forever and a day!" said Stacey. Jack grinned,

"Really? Funny ol' world isn't it?"

"Mr. Sparrow ya got to let me have that card!" said Stacey.

"Well Luv now you leave me in a rather awkward position. On the one hand, I could give you this calling card thus making all your goals and dreams achievable..."started Jack hypnotizing Stacey by waving the card under her nose until she started to reach for it. He pulled back sitting towards the side of his chair, his legs casually crossed and continued while looking at the card,

"On the other hand... If this little scrap of paper is so important to you, then I have to ask myself, what's in it for me?"

"Huh?" she said snapping out of her trance. He looked at her and grinned,

"My friends and I are strangers to this new world Missy, and we require your assistance." Stacey looked at the Turners then back at Jack and asked,

"What do you want?"

"Drive us to New Orleans, help us find what we seek, and I shall give you the key to your destiny, Savvy?" Silence fell between them leaving Will and Elizabeth to look back and forth between them wondering what would transpire. Finally, Stacey asked,

"Ya'll ain't doing anythin' illegal are ya?"

"Not this time!" said Jack slyly. Giving it some more thought, Stacey squared her shoulders and said,

"Fine, but I also want one-thousand dollars!"

"Five-hundred!" bartered Jack.

"Nine hundred!"

"Six hundred!"

"Eight-hundred!" said Stacey folding her arms.

"Seven fifty and anything leftover after we're done here!" offered Jack with finality in his voice. She extended her hand to shake and said,

"Deal!"

"We have an accord!" said Jack shaking her hand. When he didn't let go right away, Stacey quirked an eyebrow at him and said,

"I'm going to need two hands to drive Mr. Sparrow." Embarrassed, Jack let go but said as if unflustered,

"Right then."

"Well now that that's settled, when are we heading out?" asked Will. Grabbing Murray, Stacey stood and said while walking out,

"Right now Will so move your tail!"

Meanwhile, in a lonesome old mansion in a New Orleans swamp, the old butler listened to the answering machine on the other end of the phone say,

_"Hey this is the Evers, at 555-5786, leave your name and number after the beep or we won't talk to you forEvers!"_

_"DAD!" _protested some children.

_"What?"_ said the Father before the machine beeped. The butler hung up and went to the library to report to his master sitting at his grand cheery desk,

"She wasn't home sir!" The man slapped his hand on his chair and exclaimed,

"Blast! Very well Ramsely, try again tomorrow."

"Very good sir!" bowed Ramsely with a nod of his head before leaving his master alone with the flyer he had acquired a few days ago. He stroked the woman's face and said,

"Just a little longer my love, just a little longer!"


	3. Chapter 3

**_A/N: Hey guys! To Juliana: Thank you for promising to review my Return to the Labyrinth fic. Everyone else: be like Juliana. And Williz; thanks for saying Jack's character is dead on. I try in all my stories to stay true to him but he's such a complex character it's anything but easy._**

**_And now for the disclaimers: don't own anything but Stacey. (bark!) And Murray._**

**_warning: I'm giving Jack a mini makeover in this chapter. He's still going to look like his wonderful self minus one small detail. Don't flame me. (At least I gave a warning, some fics just throw Jack to the makeover machine without a second thought) Besides, i made up for it with a "Jack takes his shirt off" scene!_**

**_And finally, this chapter is dedicated to the city of New Orleans. The music will return._**

**_peace, love and lipgloss, _**

**_Mlle. Fox_**

The next morning, with the sun rising on the horizon and the Turners sleeping in the backseat of Stacey's jeep. Jack was studying a map of the south when Stacey asked him while keeping her eyes on the road,

"So Mr. Sparrow, what do you do for a living?" He looked up and thought a second before answering,

"I'm the Captain of my own ship, Milady."

"Oh so it's Captain Jack Sparrow! Huh, when ya say it like that it sounds so natural! As if that was how it was meant to be!" reflected Stacey.

"I've always thought so!" said Jack folding up the map.

"And what is this thing you are seeking in New Orleans Captain?" she asked.

"Right now it's just a really old house in a swamp. A plantation really, but it was really run down." said Jack.

"Yeah, there're lots of those in the south. Seems like the only houses like that get restored to their former glory if they are in Georgia or if some big rich family owns it." said Stacey with a sigh.

"What caused so many plantations to get abandoned?" asked Jack. Stacey gave him a curious look,

"The Civil War of course!"

"Of course! And who won again?" asked Jack trying to sound like he had heard of this war. Stacey furrowed her brow and said ,

"The South..." Jack nodded,

"Ah! Of course! That's it! And that one general led the south into victory..." While he snapped his fingers "trying" to remember, Stacey said,

"General George Washington!"

"Good ol' George!" said Jack with a smile.

"Yeah, good ol' George!" said Stacey smiling to herself.

"And why did you sound so sad when you spoke of the old southern homes?" asked Jack. Truthfully, Stacey said with a smile,

"You ever felt like you belonged in a different time?" Jack shook his head,

"You have no idea!"

"Anywho, my grandma raised me on stories about southern belles who wore big ol' hoop skirts and dashing young southern gentlemen with drawling voices in these gorgeous old mansions. It sounded so romantic. I felt like I was born too late. There was even this old plantation down the road from Grandma's house, and I would walk pass there everyday dreaming about what it must have been like to live there. To not have to worry about money or hand-me-downs from the thrift stores...must have been a beautiful life." sighed Stacey.

"It probably was, but those born to privilege...don't always think there lives are perfect. Some born to privilege felt like...a more simple life without fuss and frills was for them. A life where one could go where they could go and do what they could do and not worry about what society thought of them...A life of freedom, with every new horizon." said Jack looking inside himself. Stacey met his eyes and smiled,

"That sounds beautiful too."

"Not as beautiful as some southern belles I know!" said Jack smoothly. Stacey smiled brilliantly at him while in the back Will and Elizabeth stirred awake. Looking down at his wife in his arms, Will said sweetly,

"Good morning Mrs. Turner!"

"I guess this counts as sleeping together!" giggled Elizabeth with her head tucked under his chin.

"Anyway you wake up in my arms is fine with me!" said Will. Stacey gave Jack a dry look and asked,

"Newlyweds?"

"What gave you that idea?" asked Jack dryly. Stacey turned her attention back to the road ahead and smiled saying,

"Ya'll woke up just in time!" She pushed a button by her seat and all the windows came down much to her company's surprise.

"We're coming up on New Orleans!"

"Why did you make the windows go down?" asked Will.

"Listen Mr. Turner...Listen to New Orleans!" said Stacey. And they did listen. And they heard a wonderful joyful sound that was loud and random, toe tapping it's way into their souls. The music was unlike they had ever heard before. It was as if someone took the horn section and percussion section of a symphony and had the Muses created a new faster sound for them. They came upon the center of an old section of New Orleans, that resembled somewhat the old colonies they knew, but with golden statues that turned to moving people on the corner, jugglers and acrobats, fortune tellers and painters around a massive garden with an old Catholic cathedral watching over everything. They stopped by a bustling cafe next to the water front for a stoplight, watching a small group of musicians play outside the cafe. Elizabeth exclaimed trying to look at everything at once,

"This is amazing!"

"What's a beignet?" asked Will reading the sign on the cafe.

"A French pastry with powdered sugar!" answered Jack. While the Turners wondered how he knew that, Stacey told them,

"And the Cafe Dumonde makes the best in all Nawlins!"

"Everyone looks like their having fun. Doesn't anyone work?" asked Will.

"Maybe. But as they say in New Orleans, '_Laissez le bon roule!' _"laughed Stacey.

"Let the good times roll!" translated Jack leaving the Turners more curious about Jack. Stacey parked the jeep in the parking lot overlooking the Mississippi. When they got out, Jack jumped at the loud noise coming from the paddle boat called Natchez. Shaking it off, Jack said,

"Right then, maybe if we go to the library, we can find a map or a book talking about old New Orleans mansions Savvy?" Jack and the Turners walked off, but Stacey leaned against the jeep rubbing Murray's ears and counting,

"One, two, three, four, five..." Jack returned and asked sheepishly,

"Where...would...the library be Luv?"

"What kept you?" she asked.

&&&

They were walking towards the library, taking in the sights, when they passed by a secluded garden in an alley way.

"Oh how beautiful!" gasped Elizabeth stopping.

"Yeah there're lots of those in New Orleans." said Stacey.

"And we don't have the time to stop and smell them Savvy?" said Jack ahead of them irritated. Then they heard,

"Tell your fortune Miss?" They turned and saw a beautiful middle aged woman with wild curly brown hair. She was eccentrically dressed in wild colorful clothing and she was smiling as if she knew something. She sat at a round table in the middle of the garden with a crystal ball on top. Jack stepped forward and said,

"You seem somewhat familiar have I threatened you before?"

"I think we've met in another...time...Captain!" she said. Jack sat down and said,

"You couldn't be the old gypsy woman!"

"Jack, who is this?" asked Will.

"What you seek Captain is not in a book but in Gracey manor." said the gypsy.

"Gracey Manor?" asked Stacey turning slightly green. Elizabeth said,

"Gracey...that was the family that father sold my old toys to!"

"The other half of the mirror is the key to your return. Find it before the descent of the full moon."

"The mirror must have gotten mixed up in the box!" said Will.

"What mirror?" asked Stacey. Jack stood and said,

"I'll tell you later. Where is Gracey Manor?" But no sooner had he turned back to the gypsy, he saw the gypsy and her table gone.

"Where'd she go?" asked Elizabeth. Murray barked as Stacey said,

"Ask that about me two seconds from now!"

"Alright, let's go. Stacey do you know where this Gracey Manor is?" asked Jack as they started to leave the garden.

"No." said Stacey avoiding his eye.

"Right then, let's find a map or directions to this old Gracey Manor Savvy?" said Jack walking out.

&&&

"Right!" said Elizabeth following him and Stacey out. Will looked around the empty garden once before leaving behind them.

That night, Stacey lead them to an old run down building, with a long line in front, and the sounds they now knew as Jazz inside.

"Why are we here? We should be getting on to Gracey Manor before the full moon!" Jack asked Stacey as they walked past the crowd.

"It's Thursday! The full moon ain't till Saturday! Relax." Stacey told him.

"Yeah Jack, can't we enjoy New Orleans a little bit?" asked Elizabeth.

"We shouldn't if you want to get home!" said Jack. Stacey whispered to Elizabeth.

"Lordy, ain't he the party pooper!"

"Actually Jack is a lot more fun and easy going when he wants to be, but when he gets focused on something he's impossible!" whispered Elizabeth back.

"I can work with that!" said Stacey. They came to the front and recognition lit on the ticket takers face. He nodded to Stacey and let them all in ahead of everyone. The room was packed, with posters and people, standing room only to listen to the group of older men play their instruments with master skill.

"What is this place?" asked Will filling the electricity in the room.

"Preservation Hall. Oldest jazz hall in all New Orleans!" answered Stacey shouting about the music. The black man on trumpet wearing a smart vest stood from his stool and began to sing,

"Oh when the Saints...go marchin' in! Oh when the Saints go...marchin' in...how I want to be in that number...when the Saints go...marchin' in!" Stacey gave Jack a wink before stepping forward, belting out and interrupting the singer,

"Oh when the sun! Refuses to shine! Oh when the sun refuses to shine! Oh how I want...to be in that number! When the sun refuses to shine!" The musicians lit up happily shouting a collective

"Hey!" as they continued to play, each going into a solo routine. The trumpet player gave Stacey a big bear hug before he pulled back and he and Stacey sang together,

"Oh how I want...to be in that number! When the Saints...go...march...'in...in!" The audience exploded in applause while the trumpet player shouted,

"Hey we're gonna take a break we'll be right back!"

&&&

"Well Ramsely? Was she home?" asked the young master in his chair before the fire.

"No sir. Her daughter answered. She and her...husband...went out to dinner with some clients." answered Ramsely.

"Husband hmm? This could complicate things. But I have faith it will work out for the best. Try again tomorrow night Ramsely." said the master.

"Very good sir!" bowed Ramsely.

"Where could she be?" asked the master.

&&&

Sara Evers felt like she was in the deepest circle of hell. Usually, she enjoyed going to dinner with clients, but when the clients were the Coleman's who would not stop fighting, she felt like sticking her knife through her hand to ease the pain. She whispered to her husband,

"You better have something good planned for tomorrow night!" Jim, grinned trying to make the best of things,

"This is fun! We're having fun right, baby?" She whispered to him irritated,

"No, this is not fun Jim! This is dental surgery! That's fun!" Jim followed her nod to the loud large group a few tables over, laughing in hysterics. Jack, who happened to be in this group asked the trumpet player while wiping tears from his eyes,

"She didn't?" The trumpet player laughed,

"Oh, yeah Stacey did that sure nuff!"

"But a grasshopper?" asked Will trying to control himself.

"Yes William. A grasshopper! Now could we please stop telling embarrassing stories from my childhood?" asked Stacey dryly and irritably.

"Aw come on Stacey! Don't be such a 'party pooper'!" said Elizabeth with a snort. Jack stood and said,

"I'm going to get another drink, don't embarrass Stacey without me!" Stacey shot him a look, to which he replied with a wink before heading up to the bar.

"I'll have another Captain Morgan my man!" Jack said to the bartender. While he waited, Jim came up beside Jack and asked the bartender,

"Can I have two more ginger ales please? Thanks." While both men waited, Jim smiled at Jack and said,

"So, your table looks like it's having a blast!"

"Yeah, those old Preservation Hall musicians sure know how to spin a good yarn!" commented Jack.

"Wow, Preservation Hall huh? Those guys are legends!" said Jim.

"I know the feeling!" said Jack.

"Yeah...So do you own your own home?" asked Jim. Jack looked at him and asked,

"Beg your pardon?"

"Let me tell you something. When I look at you I see a man's man! I'll bet you're envied by men and desired by women am I right?" asked Jim.

"It's been known to happen, yes!" nodded Jack.

"Yeah, and a man's home is his castle right? So, if you ever need a castle my friend, just give me a call. Excuse me!" said Jim giving him his business card before returning to his table with the ginger ales. Jack looked at the card before taking his rum and asking himself,

"What if with twenty-first century men giving away their calling cards?" He returned to his table to hear Stacey stand and say,

"And on that humiliating note! I'm going to commission us a hotel!" Jack tucked the business card into his coat pocket saying,

"Right we should start turning in!"

"Oh can't we stay a little longer?" asked Elizabeth.

"Oh sure sugar! Ya'll stay here, Sam will tell you where I'll be, I always stay at the same hotel!" said Stacey leaning on Jack's chair as Jack sat down.

"Night _cher!_" said the robust black bass player as Stacey went round the table giving out hugs.

"Take care of yourself sugar!" said the white piano player with gray hair.

"Visit anytime!" said the black clarinet player.

"Night!" said the white banjo player.

"Night Stacey sugar!" said Sam the trumpet player while Stacey and Murray walked out.

"Nice girl!" said the clarinet player.

"Make a man a good wife one day!" said Sam winking to Jack who blushed slightly.

"So why are you folks and Stacey here in New Orleans Mr. Turner?" asked the piano player lighting his cigarette.

"Stacey is going to take us to Gracey Manor." answered Will. The players gasped with the bass player rocking back and forth saying,

"Lord no Lord!"

"What's wrong with Gracey Manor?" asked Elizabeth warily.

"Nothin' Missus 'cept a devils curse!" answered the banjo player.

"Curse?" asked Jack in confusion.

"Yeah man curse! About a hundred some odd years ago, the heir to the mansion had this fiancé who killed herself because she couldn't marry him! Then the heir done strung himself up in the bell tower till he was dead!" explained Sam as Elizabeth gasped covering her mouth in horror. Sam continued,

"The next day, all the guests of the manor disappeared. All nine-hundred and ninety nine of them! Now Gracey Manor is cursed with all those lost souls trying to find the light."

"You mean ghosts?" asked Jack skeptically.

"Don't sass me boy! That place got more spooks than hell itself! Didn't Stacey tell you?" asked Sam.

"Stacey failed to mention it!" said Will with a hint of anger.

"Shoo, she probably knows the story of Gracey Manor better than anybody! She lived down the road from it with her Grandma, God rest her soul." said Sam.

"What?" asked Elizabeth.

"Her grandma told me that when Stacey was about nine, she went in there but ran back out so fast and so pale it took the whole night to calm her down. Nobody goes in Gracey Manor and lives to tell the tale!" said Sam.

"Except Stacey." said Jack quietly thinking.

"Jack you don't think Stacey would try to back out on her deal to help us do you?" asked Elizabeth. Jack rushed to check his coat pocket before standing and running out,

"I'd bet me life on it Luv!"

Stacey skidded to a stop by her jeep in the darkened parking lot. She opened the door and climbed in depositing Murray on the passenger seat exclaiming as she took out a business card,

"Murray! We did it! We got our ticket to fame and glory without havin' to go in no haunted mansions thank you! Aw! Now all we've got to do is get to Tennessee and call Mr...Jim Evers of Evers and Evers Real Estate?" Then she heard a tap on the glass and turned her head to see Jack holding up a second business card saying,

"Forget something?" Stacey sheepishly picked Murray up and got out of the jeep with her head weighed down with guilt as Jack said,

"You know if you wanted to steal the right business card, you should have taken it before I returned to my seat Savvy?"

"But people would have seen me!" said Stacey pouting a little.

"Why'd you lie about Gracey Manor Luv?" asked Jack seriously.

"Well why'd you not tell me you were from the past?" asked Stacey. Surprised Jack blinked,

"Come again?"

"The south didn't win the Civil War, the north did. General Robert E. Lee led the south, not General Washington. Good ol' George was our country's first president back in seventeen seventy six. When I realized you didn't know who George Washington was, I figured you either had a really bad education or ya weren't around to hear of him. And since Europeans speak better English than Americans do, I figured you were from the past before the revolution." she said. Jack smiled amazed,

"Glad to hear you are so willing to believe in time travel Milady!"

"Well when you get the bejebbus scared outta ya by ghosts you're more willin' to believe in anythang!" said Stacey.

"Speaking of which, about taking us to the manor..." said Jack getting back on track.

"Oh please, please don't make me go back there Jack! I don't want to have to face that again!" begged Stacey.

"What exactly frightened you so, Luv?" asked Jack rubbing her shoulders comfortingly.

"Oh it was awful! I went there to play pretend, that I was a southern belle in hoop skirts right? I was on the front porch pretending to sip a mint julep when I went round the conservatory and saw this huge graveyard!" she cried.

"Darlin' there isn't anything scary about a family graveyard Savvy?' said Jack.

"Ohh no! This wasn't your ordinary, 'Here lies Aunt Muriel'! This was acre after acre, as far as the eye can see, dead people! But that wasn't the worst part! Then I turned around and saw a big blue ghost ball floating by my shoulder! I screamed and ran outta there faster than Jeff Gordon at Indy! I still have nightmares! So, please Jack...PLEASE don't make me go back there, please!" begged Stacey with tears in her eyes. Jack felt like wrapping his arms around her and promising that she would never set sights on Gracey Manor again, just to see her beautiful smile, but he kept a straight face as he walked to the side of the river and said,

"Very well. Guess I don't need this anymore!" Just as he was about to flick the card in the mighty Mississippi, Stacey rushed forward and held his arm crying,

"NO!" With Stacey half lying on top of him, Jack looked down in her face and said,

"Well make up your mind Luv. Are you going to take us to Gracey Manor or aren't ya?" She hesitated before grunting out,

"Fine, FINE! I'll take ya'll to Gracey Manor!"

"Wonderful! I knew you'd see things my way!" said Jack smiling victoriously. But his smile faded the more he realized just how close his lips were to hers. After wondering how soft they were Jack cleared his throat and stood up straight saying,

"Right. Let's find Will and Elizabeth and get settled in for the night Savvy?" Stacey nodded as Jack went to put the card in his coat pocket, but then he thought better of it and tucked it inside his front pants pocket.

"Just in case you get any ideas Luv!" he said with a wink.

"You wish!" she said walking ahead.

After checking in to the only hotel in New Orleans that accepted dogs, the group was being led to their room by the bell hop with Elizabeth saying,

"You know Stacey we don't blame you for trying to duck out on us. We've had a brush with the undead ourselves!"

"Ya mean ya'll dealt with ghosts before?" asked Stacey. As he was escorting her down the hall, Jack commented without looking at her,

"For about ten minutes, some of us were ghosts!" Stacey wondered what he meant when the bellboy stopped by two rooms and opened the door saying,

"Here you are Mr. and Mrs. Turner. Our finest suite!"

"Oh, no Mrs. Turner will be rooming with Miss St. Claire tonight!" corrected Will.

"No, Mrs. Turner shall be bunking with you, Mr. Turner!" said Jack guiding Elizabeth in the room.

"But Jack you and Stacey aren't married! It isn't proper!" protested Will.

"No, it isn't proper to delay a man and wife from their wedding night! Goodnight!" said Jack pushing Will in the room. As Jack shut the door in his face, Will protested,

"But Jack!" Jack locked the door and shouted to the increased poundings,

"You'll thank me later Whelp!" He turned round to Stacey who said dryly,

"Murray is trained to protect me you know!" Jack stepped forward and looked down at her saying with lust in his eyes,

"But who will protect me Milady?"

"Ah-hem!" coughed the Bellman interrupting their gazes at each other. Turning his head towards him, Jack said,

"About your business man!"

"Jack he wants you to tip him!" Stacey told him. Jack looked at her, before stepping forward and pulling the wad of money out, trying to find a five dollar bill muttering to himself,

"Highway robbery that's what it is..."

"Thank you sir! Enjoy your evening!" said the Bellman taking the five from him.

"I'm trying to, Mate!" said Jack sarcastically. Then they both heard a click. Jack turned to see the door to his room closed and Stacey gone. The Bellmen stifled a giggle while Jack shooed him away before turning his attentions to the closed door. He tried the knob and sure enough, it was locked. He sighed before kneeling by the door and taking a lock pick out of him hair singing to himself,

"And really bad eggs...drink up me hearties yo ho!" Meanwhile, Will and Elizabeth were sitting on the bed their nerves causing them to tremble. Will said crossly,

"Bloody pirate! I just hope he acts like a gentleman!" Elizabeth sighed,

"Well I for one, didn't marry a gentleman..." She squeezed his hand and said with warm desire,

"I married a bloody pirate!" Will smiled and caressed her cheek before drawing her in for a deep passionate kiss, to which Elizabeth pulled him back on the bed.

&&&

When Stacey stepped out of the shower, she did her semi-dry hair in pig tails and dressed in her music note pajamas. She got out of the bathroom to find Jack reclining on the bed, his jacket off, his shirt untucked and his boots off. As he rubbed Murray's tummy, making Murray very happy, Stacey asked dryly,

"What kept you?"

"That wasn't very nice Luv!" he said making Murray jump for a little jingle ball. Stacey went over to the vanity mirror saying,

"Yeah and neither is taking folk to haunted houses that caused childhood traumas, but there's nothing we can do about that either!" As he watched her poke at her eyeball, Jack asked in discuss,

"What in the world are you doing?"

"I'm taking my contacts out! Their like little spectacles you put on your eyes. I only need them to read, but it's easier to hang on to than a pair of reading glasses!" explained Stacey putting her contacts up. Jack stuck out his tongue and looked away saying,

"Well it looks ruddy disgusting!"

"You are one to talk about looks!" said Stacey cleaning the oil off her face.

"Now what's wrong with my looks Missy?" asked Jack.

"Nothin' cept those goofy little braids on your goatee!" said Stacey.

"I'll have you know Milady, I take great care in my image!" said Jack.

"Well the braids are just plain silly!" said Stacey matter of factly. Jack looked down at the bed and asked,

"Ye think it's a bit much?" She looked at him in the mirror and said,

"Just a tad!" Jack stood and said pulling a chair from the table,

"Fine. Cut them off!" She turned to him,

"Excuse me?" He sat flicking his goatee,

"Shave my plaits off!" She crossed her arms,

"You trust me with a razor near your throat?"

"Yeah!" nodded Jack. Stacey shrugged retreating to the bathroom,

"Alright!" When she returned, she had to recompose herself, for she was quite taken aback when she saw Jack's bare chest, hardened and developed by years at sea, with a few tattoos and just as many scars describing his infamous career. He grinned wickedly,

"Like what you see Luv?" She pointed her chin in the air saying,

"I'm just going to shave the goatee off. I like the beard and mustache!" As she set down the shaving cream and razor on the table with a towel, Jack commented suggestively,

"Among other things!" Ignoring that, she lathered his face up, but when she touched the razor to him, Jack gasped causing her to say,

"Hold still or I'll nick ya for sure!" But Jack was remembering the words of the old gypsy,

" _the one who will take your breath away..."_ Before he knew it, Stacey was done and she told him,

"Take a look!" Jack stood and saw in the mirror a neat military beard and trimmed mustache. He stroked it saying,

"Not bad..."

"Now if you don't mind, I'd like to get some sleep!" said Stacey turning back the covers of the double bed. Putting his shirt back on, Jack said,

"I'm right behind ye Luv!" At this, she quirked an eyebrow before he added,

"Providing I sleep on top of the covers and you sleep under them!" Stacey climbed in muttering,

"Just don't try anything!" Jack laid on the bed saying,

"All I ask is the same Milady! After all I need my sleep!" He settled in the pillows when Stacey asked,

"Jack, where'd you get all them scars?" Jack sighed, haunted by bad memories,

"The one on my shoulder I got sacking Nassau without firing a single shot, the branded P is given freely and gladly by the East India Trading Company, and the scorch marks are from boiling oil in Singapore!"

"But you love your life don't ya?" she asked turning off the light.

"Very much. That's why I want to get back to the seventeenth century so bad! The Black Pearl needs me!" said Jack.

"Yeah, you wouldn't give it up for anything would ya?" Stacey yawned. Jack looked at her and said,

"Maybe for one thing..." Realizing she had fallen asleep, Jack contemplated wrapping his arm around her, watching her back breath in and out, when he pulled at his hair painfully, turning his head from her, shutting his eyes and thinking.

'_Forget it Sparrow! The likes of you and the likes of her were never meant to be! You're from two different worlds not to mention times! You have to go back to the past or history might change! So what if she's beautiful...and sweet...and fun loving...and full of spirit? So what if she's the only person who has made you feel as alive as the Black Pearl does? You've lived without love before...and you must do it again!'_ Jack was ready to fall asleep, when Stacey rolled over in her sleep and snuggled into Jack's side, her head resting on his chest. Jack snapped his eyes open when he heard the gypsy's voice echo,

_"...the one who will set your body aflame with desire..."_

"I really hate gypsies!" muttered Jack hotly.


	4. Chapter 4

**_A/N: Patience Madame Opera Ghost.Patience! The 999 grim grinning ghosts are coming soon. Next chapter the gang finally arrives at Gracey Manor! But this chapter is important because exposition always is. And quick reader poll: who want's bloopers at the end like this was a movie? Read, review and respond!_**

**_And TriGemini: No, I've only been to New Orleans once too. I'm from Kentucky like Stacey and about half my heroines on I went on a mission trip which is the best way to get exposed to the locals and pick up on their culture. New Orleans made a big impression on me and I pray that reconstruction will be quick so I can return. _**

**_So this chapter is dedicated to the State of Louisana._**

**_peace, love and lipgloss,_**

**_Mlle. Fox._**

The next morning, Murray was sleeping soundly on top of Jack's chest in a little black ball of fur, when he woke at the sound of the Turners creeping into their room. He wagged and panted his greeting as Will opened the blinds. Jack stirred awake from the bright sunshine and blinked a few times looking around the room before Elizabeth said,

"Good Morning!" At this, Stacey, who was thought to be hiding her head under the covers at the head of the bed, raised her sheet covered head at the foot of the bed. Jack asked,

"How did you two get out of your room?"

"Pirate!" answered Will with a smirk on his lips.

"Well I do hope that you didn't pick the lock before Mrs. Turner got to raise your sails, pirate!" implied Jack. Will and Elizabeth exchanged looks as Will said,

"No, we saved that for after we had pulled into port!"

"And you had the proper canons for protection?" asked Jack.

"Yes we did, Captain!" said Will.

"And I hope Mrs. Turner enjoyed her voyage?" asked Jack.

"Yes, it was quite the pleasure cruise!" smiled Elizabeth at Will. Stacey muttered from under the covers,

"This is way too much sexual innuendo this early in the mornin'!" Jack climbed out of bed saying,

"Right, today we are going to spend planning a strategy for getting in and out of Gracey Manor safely. We'll go first thing tomorrow morning! Will, since you smell fresh as a daisy, you must have bathed. Show me how the loo works, and then we'll get our day started by maybe buying a few supplies!" Jack led Will to the bathroom, as Elizabeth sat on the bed playing with Murray, while Stacey choose to lay her head back down. Jack returned and pulled the sheets off her revealing her messy bed head. He growled at her as she held her head up glaring at him,

"Get up!"

An hour later, they were at the statue overlooking the river. Stacey, wearing sunglasses, was leaning against the wall, and Jack was writing in a notebook,

"Now, I figure we split up by floors. Stacey said it was about four stories, so the first story will be covered by me and Will, Elizabeth, you and Stacey take the second..." Elizabeth was holding Murray and was completely bored, when Will tapped her shoulder, shushed her and beckoned her to go with him. Stacey shooed them away, as Jack continued,

"You know Will maybe you should go with Elizabeth and I go with Stacey, what do you think? Will?...William?" Then he looked around seeing the Turners long gone. He looked towards the street and yelled,

"WHELP! FINE! BUT DON'T BLAME ME IF YOU WIND UP CURSED!" He stormed back over to Stacey and began to write in his notebook again.

"Fine, it's just you and me Luv. Now if we...hey!" he said as Stacey grabbed the notepad out of his hands and flung it into the river.

"What'd you do that for?" he asked. She lifted the sunglasses off her face and said,

"You know, I have seen very little of the fun-loving easy-going Jack Sparrow Elizabeth told me about. Today, you and I are going to live it up in New Orleans and you're gonna like it, come on boy!" Before Jack could protest, she pulled on his arm to start heading towards the French Quarter.

Jack would hate to admit it, but he had an incredible day. From shopping in the French Market, that vast potluck of sellables and collectables, to trying on costumes at the numerous costume shops on Magazine Street, to seeing (and smelling) Bourbon Street. Jack particularly liked spending the day with Stacey. To loving her laughter at the fire eaters jokes, or revealing in her touch when she wiped the powdered sugar on his mustache at Cafe Dumonde while eating lunch. Or just watching the twinkle in her eye as they walked around Jackson Park in front of the cathedral. And despite her reservations about the dead, she took Jack to an aboveground cemetery where they joined a procession of a New Orleans style funeral making its way out. He admired her for that. Finally, they wrapped up the day by taking a cruise on the paddle boat Natchez. It felt good to feel water currents under his feet again, but he was amazed that a ship could be powered by steam.

"My mates are never going to believe this!" commented Jack as he escorted Stacey around the deck. Stacey leaned against the railing saying,

"See? It didn't kill you to take a day off from constantly planning your next move." Jack looked at her,

"Come again?"

"I know your type. I am that type! You're always planning your next move. You're trying to survive. Trying to achieve your own goals. But every now and then, Jack, ya gotta take a day off and be spontaneous, with no plans and ya just got to relax. Enjoy the freedom ya earned for yourself!" said Stacey.

"You are an amazing woman!" said Jack stunned. Then a slow song with a lonely trumpet over everything began to play nearby.

"Must be the ship's band!" commented Stacey.

"It's going to be hard to forget this music too! Well, I'd ask ye to dance, but I don't know how to dance to this rhythm!" said Jack.

"We can fix that!" said Stacey. She stepped forward and wrapped his arm around her waist not noticing Jack gulp as she placed her arm on his shoulder.

"Follow me first, it's slow, slow, quick quick, slow slow, quick quick, good now you lead! Now you've got it! Ah, I love this song...Love...Careless Love! You done me wrong...and now you're gone...Hmmhmm hmmhmm!" she sang in his ear placing her head on his shoulder. Jack remembered the gypsy's words,

"_...the one that will give you what the Black Pearl can't give back." _He rubbed his chin in her hair and whispered so low she couldn't hear,

"Careless Luv...careless!" The sun was setting on the horizon, and with every inch Jack remembered that this might be his last moment alone with Stacey. He resolved to himself to not leave until he told Stacey what she had done to him.

"Hey, hey! Loraine and Gary! Just like I promised, here's the offer signed, sealed and delivered." said Jim walking into a local themed bar called the Tiki Hut on Bourbon Street. The owners of the house he had just sold to the Coleman's, the Thompson's, greeted him happily from their booth.

"Thank you, thank you so much! We are so grateful!" said Gary.

"This is a cause for celebration! Let's buy you a drink!" said Lorraine

"Oh no I can't. I've got to get going, my wife is waiting for me!" said Jim checking his watch.

"This is such a big deal for us, we have to celebrate!" said Lorraine.

"I really can't, I'm late!" apologized Jim.

"We insist! Please?" pleaded Gary. Jim raised his pointer fingers,

"Ok, one quick drink! One quick one! Sir, can I have a ginger ale over here please?" But Lorraine scoffed,

"Oh no, that's not a drink! Sammy! Three volcanoes!"

"Oh no, no! No volcanoes!" protested Jim.

"They're incredibly smooth!" promised Gary.

"Oh we love it here! We've been coming here for years!" said Lorraine sipping on her second volcano of the night.

"Its like Hawaii!" said Gary.

"Yes, yes..." said Jim looking around wondering where that one quick drink was.

"We spent our honeymoon there!" said Lorraine.

"It was fantastic! Have you been?" asked Gary.

"No, never been there!" said Jim picking up the pen trying to put it in Gary's hand.

"Promise me you'll go!" said Gary clutching his hand.

"Promise!" said Lorraine.

"I'll go if you sign; I'll go to Hawaii if you sign! But I've got to get going now because it's my anniversary tonight; I'm trying to get home to my wife..."said Jim checking his watch again.

"Your anniversary? Happy anniversary!" exclaimed Lorraine.

"Thank you! Sign that thing there!" said Jim trying to push the pen into their hands again. Much to his dismay, they broke out into a rendition of "Happy Anniversary". While Jim was being tortured, Jack and Stacey walked in the Tiki Hut making their way to a booth. But they stopped with raised eyebrows when Jim barked at the Thompson's,

"Hey sign this!"

"Ok Jim!" said Gary stunned taking the pen and signing the contract. As Jack and Stacey continued on, Jim apologized to them and to the Thompson's,

"Sorry! Sorry about that!"

"No it's fine!" said Gary. Jim stood and said,

"It's been a pleasure doing business with you! Aloha! Ok bye!" As he left the chuckling Thompson's, he heard,

"Oh excuse me! Did I just hear you correctly? Did you just sell their house?" He gave thumbs up to the blond woman,

"I sure did!" His face fell when he heard her husband say,

"'Cause were looking to buy!" He sighed,

"Honey, forgive me!" Then putting a winning smile on his face, he shook their hands saying,

"Well I'm Jim Evers of Evers and Evers real estate! Tell me about your dream house!" Meanwhile, Jack and Stacey were sitting at their booth when Jack commented looking around,

"This place reminds me of an island that made me their chief once!" Stacey shook her head and laughed,

"Jack, that's one of the things I love about you. You've led such an exciting life! I only hope I'm as lucky as you someday!" He leaned forward and held her hands and her gaze,

"Stacey. I have to tell you something!"

"What Jack?" she asked a little taken back that he had called her by her first name.

"Stacey, we haven't known each other very long, but in these past three days, I felt as if I've known you my entire life."

"Jack, what are you trying to say?" she laughed.

"Stacey, I think I..." But Jack was interrupted by a loud crash. They turned and saw Will picking up a few shopping bags of souvenirs (mostly Elizabeth's), with Jim over him saying,

"Sorry, so sorry! Here have a calendar! I'm coming Sara!" Elizabeth laughed and Murray barked when they saw Jim exit out one side of the entrance, and then rush over to the other side. Soon the Turners joined their table with Stacey reaching for Murray saying,

"Hey, Baby! Was he a good boy today?" Elizabeth sat and said,

"Yes he was! Was Jack a good boy today?" Ignoring the glare Jack gave Elizabeth at her comparison of him to a dog, Stacey said as Murray licked her face,

"Well I had to pick up after him in Jackson Park!" They all laughed at the joke, even Jack with a slight chuckle as Will asked,

"Did you two have fun today?'

"A delight Mr. Turner, a delight! And did you and Mrs. Turner enjoy yourselves?" asked Jack.

"Immensely!" hummed Elizabeth leaning over the table to give her husband a kiss to which Stacey smiled dryly at Jack, but he tried to keep his face blank. Pulling back Elizabeth clutched her middle and said,

"Yet, I am also stuffed! I must have tried every delicacy New Orleans has to offer! Beignets, pralines, red beans and rice..."

"Gumbo, jambalaya, Po'Boys! It's a wonder we didn't explode!" finished Will. Stacey pulled out a Styrofoam container,

"Ah, but did ya'll ever have crawfish?"

"I'm afraid to ask, but what are crawfish?" asked Will. Lifting the lid, revealing little red crustaceans, she said,

"They're little, fun to eat and good come on!" Elizabeth made a face,

"No thanks! They look disgusting!"

"Ah come on Slim! What are ya? A wimp?" teased Stacey.

"What did you call me?" asked Elizabeth.

"Ya heard me!" said Stacey.

"I think I speak for Mrs. Turner when I ask what exactly a wimp is darlin'!" said Jack. Stacey smiled,

"Oh. Well a wimp is someone who can't handle things that might be a little disgusting or scary or physically difficult!"

"Excuse me, but I faced a band of undead pirates that looked like rotting flesh in the moonlight! Who are you to say that I am a wimp?" asked Elizabeth.

"Just somebody wondering what'ca gonna do about it?" teased Stacey. Determined, Elizabeth took a crawfish and said,

"Alright, how does one eat this thing?"

"Just break the tail off and pick out the meat! Helps to not look at the eyes!" told Stacey as each of them took one crawfish. Elizabeth did hers as an old pro and smugged at Stacey when she popped the meat into her mouth.

"Not bad!" said Elizabeth.

"Not bad at all! Give me another one!" said Will reaching for his second.

"Oh! Jack, you were gonna say something before?" asked Stacey turning her attention to Jack. He slowed his chewing to meet his friends' gazes. To cover, he raised his glass and said choking down his crawfish,

"I was just going to make a toast!"

"Oh!" said Stacey as she and the Turners raised their glasses with Jack.

"To tomorrow. May we find the mirror and return home no matter what dangers await us in the unknown!" he said.

"Cheers!" said Will as they clicked glasses.

"Did ya have to say it like that?" whined Stacey.

"Wimp!" teased Elizabeth.

"Darn tootin'!" exclaimed Stacey.

Meanwhile, Sara Evers opened her front door and saw a big white teddy bear in front of her husband say,

"Hi Sara I'm Teddy! Your husband told me to tell you he loves you very much, but sometimes he loses track of the time!" Then Jim came in and said kissing her cheek,

"I'm sorry I'm late! Happy anniversary!"

"Happy anniversary." said Sara taking the bear sadly.

"Yes, gasp, look at what he brought you!" said Jim taking a gold watch off the bear's arm. He continued while putting it on her, "Look at that, isn't that pretty? Oh, you know you have a wonderful husband who thinks about you like that one your anniversary! You're so fortunate!"

"Its beautiful." commented Sara.

"Actually it's Teddy's fault that I'm late. He had a little accident in the backseat; cotton all over the place, but I cleaned it up though." joked Jim.

"That's ok. I forgive Teddy!" said Sara angrily before throwing the bear in a chair and walking to the living room.

"Oh, come on Sara! Don't be like that! I'm on a roll here, we sold seven houses this month!' said Jim defending himself.

"Yeah, what about the three soccer games, two birthday parties and barbecue you missed?" asked Sara spinning around to face him.

"Did I miss that much stuff this month?" asked Jim as Sara nodded. "Ok I gonna tell you what were going to do we'll take off this weekend!"

"What?" said Sara.

"Were going to take off and go down to the lake like we did last year, just us and the kids the whole weekend! How's that sound?"

"Can we really close on this?" asked Sara with a smile.

"How about this, can we close on this? " he said giving her a kiss. "How about that? Can we close on that? Let me go tell the kids alright? Ok, alright! Megan and Michael, big family adventure!" said Jim going up the stairs.

'Hey Michael Jordon Evers!" Then he heard a scream and his young son dashed out into the hall pointing in terror at his room.

"Hey whoa whoa whoa!"

"Dad there's a…" said Michael.

"What is it?" asked Jim in concern.

"There's a spider in my room! There's a spider in my room on the window!" spat Michael out.

"Why don't you kill it man?" asked Jim. Looking at him like he was crazy, Michael replied,

"That's a big spider!" Jim sighed and took his hand leading him in the room saying,

"Oh come on Michael its just a spider! How big could it be? What is this, where's the spider at? What? Man you're acting like it's Mothra! It's just a spider!" After a long speech about becoming a man and how to kill a spider correctly, thirteen year old Megan entered the room, took the rolled up magazine out of her father's hand and smacked the spider flat. She gave the magazine back and said sarcastically,

"There, happy?"

"No I'm not happy Megan! I was trying to teach your brother the importance of whacking your own spiders!" said Jim to her retreating back.

"Whatever!" she said.

"…Past the old miller road."

"Ok great!" said Sara writing the direction down while she listened to the man on the other end.

"It's an old home Mrs. Evers and my employer is anxious to move on. Would it be possible for you to come alone to discuss the situation?" he asked.

"But my husband and I work as a team." Sara told him.

"The master usually does not take visitors. However from your photograph he felt you to have a trustworthy face. About your husband, he felt…differently." the butler replied.

"Oh, you got our flyer!" she said rolling her eyes.

"The master had wished to meet you tomorrow evening." he said. As Jim came down the stairs, he heard Sara say,

"Oh I'm sorry, but tomorrow we got plans that can't be broken!"

"Who is that?" Jim mouthed as Sara said to the caller,

"Excuse me a second."

"Who is that?" asked Jim.

"Just someone calling about repping a house." shrugged Sara.

"What's the address, where is it?" asked Jim as he looked at the piece of paper Sara gave him. He opened his eyes wide and said, "Sara do you know where this place is? The places up here are big multi million dollar mansions! This could be big!"

"But what about our big family adventure?" asked Sara.


	5. Chapter 5

**_A/N: Hey guys! Chapter five is comin' alive! ...Sorry._**

**_Anywho, in this chapter the Evers family and our favorite pirate crew finally arrive at Gracey Manor and meet our 'Ghost Host', Mr. Edward Gracey._**

**_And quick reader poll: Juliana reviewed my 'Southern Belle and the Pirate' story, and it brough to mind this question. Does Jack have the authority to marry as a sea captain or is the whole sea captain can marry people a myth like I've heard?_**

**_Keep the reviews comin'_**

**_peace, love and lipgloss, _**

**_Mlle.Fox_**

"It's just a little detour!" said Jim as they drove along the highway.

"How long is it gonna take?" asked Megan.

"No more than twenty minutes tops! You kids should be excited you finally get to see mommy and daddy in real estate action!" said Jim as the kids rolled their eyes. Then Jim's cell phone went off.

"Someone's calling my cell phone, hello Jim Evers Evers and Evers real estate!" he answered on his headset.

"Stan, how you doin? What's the latest? Really? The Selma property? Tomorrow? Whoa I'm kinda out of town right now but hey, maybe I could come back early?" he said looking hopefully at Sara who glared dangerously at him.

"Oh no, I can't come back early! I can't come back early! Maybe we should just take care of this on Monday. Monday? Monday sounds fine. Ok; I'll talk to you on Monday. We're gonna talk on Monday. "said Jim hanging up.

&&&

Meanwhile, Jack woke to find himself on a sandy beach barefoot when he heard someone singing. He looked ahead and saw coming out of the water dressed in nothing but old sails and seaweed, Stacey. And Jack knew by her voice she was a siren. She sat on his lap and kissed him passionately. Jack wove his fingers through her hair and turned her over on her back. He heard her calling his name.

"Jack!" yelled Will snapping him awake. As Jack realized he was in a jeep on the highway with the Turners and Stacey at the wheel and not on a beach making love to Stacey, Will asked him,

"Bad dream?"

"Why do you say that mate?" asked Jack.

"Because you were groaning as if you were in pain." answered Elizabeth as Jack realized what had happened and he crossed his legs and chuckled nervously,

"Yeah, but it's over now so let's move on in our conversation shall we?"

"Jack, are you blushing?" asked Will.

"Don't be ridiculous Mr. Turner!" said Jack trying to look out the window. Stacey looked over at him and said,

"You are too blushin'! You're as red as a tomata!" Elizabeth grinned,

"The infamous Captain Jack Sparrow blushing like a school girl! How intriguing!" Jack turned to her in the back and gritted angrily through his teeth,

"I should have shot you on the beach when I had the chance!"

"Jack there's nothing wrong with someone blushing…" Will started to tell him as Stacey began to signal to turn in a gas station. Jack turned his anger to Will and said,

"And I should have shot you back at the Smithy when I had the chance!" Without missing a beat, Will asked him dryly,

"You only had one shot. How would you have shot Elizabeth?" Jack searched for an answer, but stopped when the jeep slammed on its brakes. The cause was a gold luxury car with a family of four in it. The dad that was driving, a black man in an expensive gray suit yelled out his window,

"Hey, why don't you look where you were going!"

"Jim!" scolded his wife. Jim sighed and yelled to Stacey,

"Sorry!"

"Me too!" said Stacey with a sigh. The gold car moved on, and Stacey pulled the jeep into the gas station. A few minutes later, they were ready to pay for gas and snacks. Elizabeth tried to catch the attention of an old man trying to listen to a waltz on his radio when Stacey told her,

"Forget it Elizabeth. Ol' Harry ain't a use to anyone when he's listening to his music. Best to wait when the song stops." Will smiled at his wife mischievously and took her in his arms and said,

"In that case…" The Turners began to waltz around clumsily to which Jack laughed,

"Can't you do anything right Turner? Here, watch and learn!" Jack took Stacey in his arms and began to waltz her around the gas station like an old pro. Elizabeth laughed,

"Alright, that's it Jack Sparrow! Where did you learn to waltz like a gentleman?" Waltzing Stacey out the door, Jack answered,

"That's CAPTAIN Jack Sparrow to ye, Missus!" The Turners shook their heads when the music stopped and Harry stood at the counter and said,

"Gas and food will come to thirty seventeen young fella!" As Will paid the man, Harry asked with a smile,

"Newlyweds?" Elizabeth rubbed Will's arm and smiled,

"Yes, we were married four days ago!"

"Oh, I was talkin' bout the other couple!" shrugged Harry as Will and Elizabeth exchanged knowing looks.

A half hour later, Stacey stopped the jeep at the end of a long dirt road at in an old swamp at an iron gate. And beyond the gate, the overgrowth of weeds and grass, and the murky swamp water that seeped up from the ground, laid Gracey Manor. It was gray, and dirty, its shutters falling off its hinges and vines wrapping themselves up her massive columns. Iron balconies wrapped around one side of the house, with a huge glass conservatory on the other side, it's windows the same murky green as the swamp water. It almost seemed to be growling at them.

"That's it?" asked Elizabeth.

"That's it!" said Stacey nervously.

"Well, let's get in there!" said Will with determination.

"You know, are ya'll sure you don't want to stay in the twenty-first century, I mean we have a lot going for us here. Democracy, free trade, civil rights, indoor plumbin'? Will, I know how much you like that indoor plumbin'!" said Stacey trying to talk them out of it.

"Stacey, I know you're scared, and I know you have nothing but bad memories of this place. But maybe the reason you were meant to help us was so you can face your fears. I promise, you will be safe." said Jack reassuringly looking deep in her eyes. Stacey took a deep breath and said,

"Okay!"

"Okay, let's get that mirror!" said Jack enthusiastically.

"Right!" said Elizabeth sitting back. When nothing happened, Jack said dryly to Stacey,

"I believe this is the part where you drive us through the gate, Luv!" Stacey whimpered once more before putting the jeep in drive and slowly going through. The iron gates slammed shut behind them and Elizabeth gasped looking back as Stacey whimpered again. Will leaned forward and asked Jack,

"Should we bring our swords?" Looking ahead, Jack said,

"Normally, I'd say yes, but given our current circumstances, that is highly unwise!" Will looked ahead to see what he was talking about, and saw the gold car from earlier with the family of four standing outside it looking up at the house. When the jeep stopped, Jack and the Turners got out while Stacey stayed in the jeep frozen to the wheel.

"Hi there!" said Jim turning to them. Jack stopped and looked curiously at Jim and said,

"You seem somewhat familiar, have I threatened you before?"

"Yeah, wait a second! You're the guy from the bar the other night! Honey, remember the table that was having a blast? He was one of them! Hey man, Jim Evers, nice to meet you." said Jim reaching forward to shake Jack's hand.

"Jack Sparrow at your service sir! And may I introduce my esteemed colleague, Master William Turner the Second and his lovely wife Elizabeth!" said Jack shaking his hand and then pointing towards his friends.

"Hi, Jim Evers of Evers and Evers Real Estate. Say, you're a good looking couple. Do you own your own home?" asked Jim stepping forward to shake Will's hand.

"Actually, we just got married four days ago!" said Elizabeth.

"Oh Newlyweds! Mazeltov!" said Jim.

"Yes, congratulations!" said Sara warmly.

"Thank you." said Elizabeth.

"Well, after the honeymoon, you're going to need a home to invest in. If you ever need our services, feel free to call, day or night!" said Jim giving Will his business card.

"Thank you, but I think we live a little far out of your way." said Will politely.

"Oh, what are a couple miles between friends?" chuckled Jim.

"We live in Jamaica." Elizabeth told him watching his face drop and then smile to his wife saying,

"Yeah, that's a little out of our district. But anyway, this is my wife and business partner, Sara. And our two kids Megan and Michael."

"Nice to meet all of you." said Sara warmly.

"Hi!" chorused the kids.

"And last but not least, this is…" started Jack before realizing Stacey was still in the jeep. He sighed and held up his pointer fingers to the waiting family, and then he stomped over to the driver's side of the jeep and opened the door without a word. Meekly, Stacey picked Murray up and got out, only to be forced forward by the shoulders with Jack saying,

"And this shy beauty is none other than Miss Stacey St. Claire of Kentucky."

"Hey ya'll." said Stacey quietly waving Murray's paw to say hi. Megan and Michael stepped forward with Megan saying,

"Aww, what a cute puppy!"

"What's his name?" asked Michael. Smiling, Stacey said,

"Murray!" Jim beckoned his children back saying,

"Hey, now, hey! Don't pet the puppy! Don't pet the puppy dog! You know your daddy's al…all…ACHOO! Allergic to pet dander!"

"Sorry Dad!" sighed Megan.

"Can you leave him in the jeep or something please?" asked Jim rubbing his watery eyes.

"I ain't leavin' Murray in the jeep! He'll…" started Stacey about to mention ghosts. Jack stopped her by wrapping his arm around her shoulder and saying,

"…Piddle over everything! Can't do a thing with him really. But he's really good at fetch, so we keep him around."

"Ok, I understand. So Mister Sparrow, why are you and your friends here?" asked Jim.

"We're lost trying to find a friends house." sighed Jack.

"Yes. We need to use the "telephone" in there to get directions!" added Elizabeth with a smile. Jim pulled out his cell phone and said,

"Well, here use mine…oh wait. No signal." Megan looked at her phone in despair and whined,

"Ah, man! Mine too!" Sara checked her phone and said,

"I guess we all need to use the house telephone."

"I just hope it's still working mate, 'cause by the looks of things, this place needs some long overdue attention." said Jack looking up at the house. Jim looked up at the place and said,

"Yeah, I was just saying Bob Villa would have a field day here!"

"I'm sure the phone still works. The butler called us only last night." Sara said.

"Did he mention any…ow!" said Stacey rubbing her pinched bottom and glaring at Jack.

"Come on! Let's see what's in the back!" said Sara leading rest around the back.

"I'm getting hungry!" said Michael.

"Me too!" said Megan.

"Don't worry, we'll be twenty minutes tops!" said Jim. Stacey held Jack back and asked him,

"Jack, why wouldn't you let me tell them about the ghosts?"

"Why tell them about ghosts that may or may not exist, Luv?" sighed Jack.

"What?" asked Stacey.

"Look, Mrs. Evers just said the butler called her. Last time I checked, ghosts didn't tolerate the living much. Besides, who's to say that the ghost you saw as a child wasn't just a figment of that overactive imagination or yours?" said Jack. Stacey stood shocked a moment before walking away and saying,

"Why you two-faced little worm! I thought you believed me! Well, you can just kiss my grits, Jack Sparrow!" (**a/n: don't own the phrase 'kiss my grits'. a old show called 'Alice' does.) **

"Stacey! Stacey, wait!" said Jack going around the house to catch her. He heard Michael ask his father,

"Hey Dad, when we get to the lake, can I go to that pizza shop where I ate that whole pizza pie and when we got back to the cabin I threw up and you could still see the pepperoni chunks in it? Can we go there?"

"We can go there if we can avoid a repeal performance!" said Jim as Sara, Megan and Elizabeth stopped to look in the conservatory. Then Will stepped towards the railing and said,

"Whoa, now that's something you don't see everyday!" Stacey whimpered and Jack stopped at the sight of a massive graveyard stretching out as far as the eye can see.

"That's interesting!" said Jack. Jim looked back to his wife and said catching her attention,

"Uh, honey, there's dead people in the backyard!" Megan came forward and exclaimed,

"OMG! Dead people?"

"Well, some people have pools, some have private cemeteries, it happens!" reasoned Sara stepping forward.

"You're going to sell a house…with this?" asked Elizabeth skeptically. Jim told her,

"You mean this historic sprawling manor with spacious grounds, yes." Sara smiled at him,

"Hey that's good! We'll put that on the listing!"

"And leave out all the dead people?" asked Will.

"Well just stick to the bright side!" said Jim.

"Always works for me!" said Jack. Then a sudden crash of thunder sounded, followed by a heavy rain sending them all running towards the front door.

"Oh no I got my good suit on!" said Jim pulling his jacket tighter around himself.

"OH!" cried Elizabeth as Will gave her his jacket to cover her head. Jack gave Stacey his jacket as well, to which she replied,

"Just 'cuz I'm hiding under your coat don't mean I still ain't mad at you!"

"You think it's gonna stop?" Megan asked her mother.

"Oh, I hope it's not raining at the lake!" said Sara looking out at the storm.

"OK. Wow. You kids know when you're at work with Mommy and Daddy you're on your best behavior right? Ok, whoo! Look at the size of these knockers! Ever seen anything like that before?" asked Jim.

"Clearly you've never been to Singapore!" commented Jack to which Jim looked at him questionly before knocking on the door,

"Hello! Evers and Evers Real Estate? Evers and Evers Real Estate! Hello is anybody here? Hello? Were the Evers from Evers and Evers real estate? HI!" Suddenly, the massive front doors creaked open slowly, inviting them to a dark front hall.

"That's very interesting!" said Jack. They all stepped forward into the house, amazed at the dirty but grand double staircase, marble floors and oak paneling.

"Have you ever seen anything like this?" asked Sara in awe.

"Never. Sara this puts us in a whole new league!" said Jim looked at the painted ceiling. He did a double take when he thought he saw something in the painting move, but he quickly dismissed it.

"Smells like grandma's house!" said Megan.

"Worst, smells like grandma!" said Michael.

"Worser still, it smells like my grandma!" laughed Elizabeth.

"Is that bad?" asked Megan. Will took back his coat and said to the young girl,

"You've never met her grandma!"

"Mom! This place has spiders!" said Michael looking up into the rafters and going near his mother in freight.

"This place is just a little dusty. We'll get a cleaning crew to come out here and shine it up. This place will be sparkling from top to bottom!" said Jim.

"Well, they'll have to worry about more than spiders I can tell ya that! OW!" said Stacey rubbed her once again pinched bottom and then throwing Jack's coat back at him. Suddenly, they heard footfall and they looked down a hall under the stairs and lightning flashed illuminating a tall old gentleman with a pale gray complexion and stark white hair contrasting greatly to his dark suit. He stopped before them and said in a dry precise voice,

"Sara Evers?"

'Yes I'm Sara." she said uneasily.

"My name is Ramsley." he said. Jim took it upon himself to step forward and extended his hand,

"Hi Ramsley. I'm Jim Evers from Evers and Evers Real Estate at your service! And these are our kids, Megan and Michael. And over there are the Turners, Stacey St. Claire and Jack Sparrow." He grinned but it fell as Ramsley scanned the group and said,

"We weren't expecting...others."

"Yes we were on our way out of town." explained Sara.

"And we just need use of the phone mate. We're lost and we need to call those who are expecting our presence!" said Jack.

"Yes and then when we realized the enormity and complexity of your unique estate we wanted to commit the full resources of Evers and Evers Real Estate. At Evers and Evers, we want you to be happy forEvers and Evers...Please take this waterproof calendar as a token of our appreciation!" said Jim handing him the calendar. Ramsley took it in his white gloved hand and said evenly,

'Very well, we shall have to place other settings." He turned and began to lead them down the hall with Jack asking,

"Who do you have settings for?"

"Master Gracey wishes to discuss his affairs over dinner." said Ramsley as they all followed him.

"Oh no, we can't stay for dinner!" protested Sara.

"Oh yes, but we mustn't be rude darling." said Jim.

"Uh, Ramsley? We just need to use your phone, so how about just telling us where it is, 'cause we don't want to put ya..." started Stacey.

"I'm afraid Miss, that our telephone...is dead."

"Dead?" said Stacey an octave higher.

"Always goes out during a storm!" explained Ramsley as Will and Jack exchanged looks.

"What aboutour family adventure?" whisperedMichael to Jim.

"Yeah Dad?" said Megan.

"We'll just have some soup and then we'll get going okay? Alright?" said Jim recieving a drylook of agrivation from Sara. Will was escorting Elizabeth by the arm and admiring the suits of armor in the hall and observed,

"These pieces are of excellent craftsmanship!"

"Yes, the Master's father was quite the collector. Master Gracey inherited his good taste." said Ramsley. Elizabeth took a sharp breath when she thought she saw a helmet of a suit of armor swing back to face forward. Ramsley opened the doors to a grand ballroom, which had a long dinner table set for nine prepared before a roaring and welcoming fire. Looking at the food placed on the table, Jim nodded,

"Nice! Very Nice! Good Job. Hey Megan how'd you like to eat like this everyday at home?"

"If I ate like this everyday, I wouldn't be able to move!" said Stacey placing Murray on the floor.

"And we certainly wouldn't want that!" said Jack.

"I'm still mad at you!" said Stacey moving away from him.

"The master will be with you shortly." said Ramsley off to the side.

"Carry on!" said Jim as Ramsley bowed and left. Jim grinned to Sara and said, "I say carry on and he walks off!" Sara shook her head and then moved over to the fireplace and said,

"Have you ever seen a fireplace this amazing?"

"Incredible!" said Will moving to join her.

"Ah, we could have a heck of a weenie roast in this thing huh?" said Jim coming over.

"Or one could roast their weenie off!" joked Jack sending Jim into laughter.

"Seriously, look at this detail! I've never seen anything like this!" said Sara.

'Haven't you?" They all turned to see a youthful, handsome middle aged white man with black hair and sideburns and an old fashioned suit. He continued,

"My grandfather spared no expense when he built this mansion!"

"Well, your grandfather had really good taste in tchotchokes! I'm Jim Evers of Evers and Evers Real Estate! Charmed to make your acquaintance sir!" said Jim stepping forward and extending his hand. The man bowed his head and said,

"Edward. Edward Gracey!" Convinced that no one in this house would shake his hand, Jim beckoned his wife forward,

"Uh, this is my wife Sara! You want to come meet Mr. Gracey?"

"Very nice to meet you Mr. Gracey! And this is our daughter Megan and our son Michael." said Sara warmly waving the kids over.

"You have very beautiful children Mrs. Evers!" said Gracey with an unusual amount of warmth making Will furrow his brow.

"I kicked in some chromosomes too!" chuckled Jim. Jack stepped forward and said,

"Mr. Gracey, it's a pleasure to be introduced to such a gracious and welcoming host who would set a place at his table for total strangers. I am Jack Sparrow and these are my friends, Miss Stacey St. Claire, and Mr. and Mrs. William and Elizabeth Turner..." Murray barked, "...And Murray!" As the children giggled, Gracey said with a hint of sadness,

"Elizabeth...That's a lovely name Mrs. Turner...I knew an Elizabeth once." Curious, but polite, Elizabeth said,

"Thank you, Mr. Gracey." Ramsley came in the room and broke the tension announcing,

"Children! Miss! Madam's!"

"Oh nice! Ok." said Jim as they all gathered to sit down.

"Thank you." said Sara as Ramsley helped her in her seat and then moving on to Megan, Elizabeth and Stacey.

"The master was very pleased when you could come on such short notice. Normally we would not have called you hear so abruptly but lately we had no other choice!" he said pushing Stacey in her chair.

"What do you got termites or something? Big house like this must have lots of termites!" said Jim as he took his seat.

"No, but lately there have been more...disturbances." said Ramsley moving to get the wine.

"What do you think of the house Ms. Evers?" asked Mr. Gracey from the head of the table. Sara laughed from her end and said,

"Oh! I think it's absolutely incredible! The Italian influence. The Renaissance style of the molding, the attention to detail is stunning! You never see houses like this or at least I don't!"

"Great care and love went into the building of this mansion!" said Gracey staring at her with desire that made her uncomfortable. Coming to her rescue, Will said,

"I imagine so, Mr. Gracey. I would be interested to know who the craftsmen that created this house were!"

"Unfortunately Mr. Turner, that information has been lost over the years. I probably should have taken greater care to keep track of that if I now plan to sell the place." said Gracey looking up in the rafters.

"Ah, don't worry about it. We'll find some top professional architects who'll come in and tell us who did all this!" assured Jim. As Ramsley poured the wine into Jack's glass, Jack added holding up a hand to stop Ramsley,

"Providing of course they are familiar with French designers!" Everyone watched as Jack swirled the wine around, sniffed it, sipped it and then rolled it on his tongue. He asked Gracey,

"This isn't a Cabernet Sauvignon, is it?" Gracey smiled,

"You know your wines Mr. Sparrow. Tell me, you wouldn't happen to be related to a Captain Jack Sparrow from the seventeenth century Caribbean, would you?" Will and Elizabeth froze wide eyed and Stacey downed her wine like a shot glass while Jack shook his head and shrugged,

"No, I don't think so."

"Who was he?" asked Michael. Gracey said to the boy,

"Well, he was a pirate! And he was so clever, so cunning, he sacked Nassau Port without firing a single shot, commandeered a ship of the British fleet with but one other man, and he escaped from under the noses of ten agents of the East Indian Trading Company!"

"Wow!" said Jim impressed.

"Cool!" exclaimed Michael.

"Only seven!" said Jack smiling at the memories.

"What was that?" asked Gracey. Stacey dug her spiked heel in Jack's foot to which he winced in pain and she laughed,

"Yes, Jack Sugar! Just seven days till the weddin'! I can't wait either!"

"You're getting married?" asked Megan.

"Yeah, Jack and I don't like to make a big fuss about it!" said Stacey as Jack played along and kissed the back of her hand.

"Well...congratulations!" laughed Sara.

"This calls for a toast!" said Gracey raising his glass as the others followed suit. He continued,

"To love, may those who have yet to find it, do..." Jack and Stacey locked looks, and Megan smiled with Jim telling her,

"Don't even think about it!"

"...Those who have it, hold on to it," Will and Elizabeth smiled at each other as did Jim and Sara,

"...And those who lost it..."he captured Sara's gaze, "Find it again."

"Cheers!" said Elizabeth as they all took a drink.

&&&

"This house is my inheritance...my birthright! But lately its become too much to bear. Tell me Mr. Evers, do you believe in ...ghosts?" asked Gracey as the kids finished their ice cream. Stacey whimpered and Will looked to Jack again.

"Ghosts? Yeah, I believe in ghosts. I don't think it's a good idea to put that on the listing. You should talk about how many bathrooms its got! People love bathrooms! I think you should play up the whole toilet angle and leave out the ghost for now. I think that'd be great!" said Jim chuckling.

"The storm has swollen the river!" said Ramsley by the window.

"How's that?" asked Jim.

"The storm has flooded the road! I'm afraid that there'll be no leaving the mansion tonight!" said Ramsley going by his master's side.

"What?" exclaimed Megan as Stacey whimpered again.

"Of course you are all more than welcome to spend the night...here." said Gracey as Jack noted a plan in his eyes.

"Oh no, I don't think we should we've got plans." said Sara looking to Jim who shook his head.

"And our friends must be worried about us by now." said Will beginning to think leaving may be wise.

"I'm afraid there's no other way! Ramsley will show you to your rooms." said Gracey with finality in his voice, standing and leaving the room. A few minutes later, Ramsley was leading the group upstairs with a candelabrum in his hand when Stacey whispered to Elizabeth,

"I don't like this one little ol' bit! Somethin' screwy going on here!"

"Stacey, relax. We haven't seen one ghost so far. Maybe the one you saw only haunts the grounds outside!" suggested Elizabeth.

"At least you still believe I saw what I saw!" mumbled Stacey.

"Who doesn't?" asked Elizabeth.

"The good Captain, of course! He pretty much said the ghost was a figment of my imagination! Lord, that man is infuriatin'!" sighed Stacey.

"I know. But Jack is a good man. Just remember that and you'll find yourself unable to stay angry with him." said Elizabeth. Stacey was interrupted with her next comment with Jack coming behind them and whispering,

"After everyone's settled for the night, search the second floor. Will and I shall search the first. And please ladies, do us a favor and stay together!"

"Aye aye, Cap'n!" mock saluted Stacey. Ramsley opened the door and said,

"Mr. Turner, Mr. Sparrow, I hope this is to your liking." Jack entered and said,

"It's fine mate. Just a shame the matters of propriety won't allow me and my bonnie lass to bunk together!" Stacey stepped past Ramsley and purred,

"Aww, don't worry darlin'. Just seven more days till I can have ya all to myself!" And to Jack's surprise, she pulled him forward by his collar and pecked his lips before skipping out saying,

"Nighty-night! Don't let the bed bugs bite...hard!" Of course only Elizabeth caught this last part and she snickered to herself as Ramsleyled them down the hall. Will closed the door behind him and stood next to Jack who was still stunned for his lips were puckered. Will said,

"Whatever you did wrong to Stacey, I think she just got back at you!" Stacey was feeling very confident about herself when she felt someone tug on her denim jacket. She looked down and saw Michael looking up at her. He asked,

"Can Murray sleep in our room?"

"Yeah! Can he?" added his sister.

"Well, that all depends on your parents..." said Stacey looking up at Jim and Sara.

"Hey as long as you keep the mutt away from me, I don't care!" said Jim.

"He ain't a mutt!...He's a cross breed!" smiled Stacey handing Murray to a very excited Micheal. Murray was just happy he had someone else to rub his tummy.

"I believe the children will be comfortable in this room!" said Ramsley leading the Evers children into their room.

"Yeah, real homey!" said Megan.

"You'll be fine!" assured Sara. Jim looked in their room and said,

"Wow, hey listen, when you flush the toilet see how quickly it refills!"

"Goodnight Dad!" sighed Megan dryly shutting the door before her father let out one big sneeze.

&&&

"I don't care for this situation Jack. The way Gracey looked at Mrs. Evers at dinner, how Gracey knew of you and your adventures, and what did Ramsley mean by disturbances?" asked Will as he looked out the window at the graveyard below. Searching through the desk, Jack said,

"It means we should be on our guard." said Jack.

"I'm only happy you tucked your pistol inside your coat. At least we have that to defend ourselves with. Althought I wish we could give something to Elizabeth and Stacey. Maybe I should go with Elizabeth and you should go with Stacey." suggested Will turning back to the room.

"I don't believe the fair Miss Stacey wants anything to do with me right now!" said Jack crossing the room.

"Why's that?" asked Will. Jack sighed,

"I told her the ghost she saw might have been in her mind. Now, she's mad at me and I don't have a clue as to get back in her favor."

"Face it Jack. You have feelings for Stacey." said Will as he searched through the closet for the mirror.

"I do ruddy not!" said Jack dumping out the drawers of the vanity.

"You're blushing again Jack." said Will.

"And what leads you to the conclusion Mr. Turner, that I have feelings for Miss St.Claire, hmm?"

"The way you talk to her! You two talk as if you known each other for ages." said Will.

"Impossible. We've only known each other four days!" said Jack. Ignoring him, Will said coming back into the room,

"The way you linger when you touch her, then."

"Habit!" said Jack going to look under the bed. Will went to the other side to look at Jack under there,

"The way you look at her! Jack I know that look. That is the look of a man in love!" Jack stood up straight and sighed,

"Will..."

"And what's especially telling is the dumbfounded look on your face when she kissed you. She meant it to torture you. If she didn't detect your attraction to her, she wouldn't have used that to get back at you." continued Will.

"Will...I can't...talk about this now. We must find the mirror!" said Jack.

"I always wondered what could scare Captain Jack Sparrow. And now I know." said Will as Jack gave him a look.

"Come on. Let's go downstairs and find that blasted mirror." Jack said going to the door. But he nearly jumped out of his skin he saw Ramsley standing there.

"Whoa!" said Jack grabbing his heart.

"Begging the Sir's gentle pardon, but Master Gracey wishes to invite you and Mr. Turner to cigars and drinks in the library as he and Mr. Evers discuss business." said Ramsley.

"Thank you Ramsley." said Will as Jack tried to compose himself. Ramsley nodded and Jack whispered to Will as they stepped out in the hall,

"And while they discuss business, we'll get back to the business of finding the mirror!"

"And your feelings for Stacey." said Will.

"I don't have ruddy feelings for Stacey!" hissed Jack.

"You're blushing again, Jack!" said Will as they follow Ramsley and Jim down the hall. As they came down the grand staircase, Will looked to the clock in the paneling of the staircase and did a double take when he saw the clock read thirteen hours and the hands spinning madly.

"Jack!" he said catching his attention.

"Yes William?" said Jack seeing nothing.

"Nevermind." said Will continuing on. Ahead of them, Jim said to Ramsley,

"Hey Ramsley, I was just wondering have you ever been to a tanning salon cause I've got a friend in the city who's got a really great place, you get a really smooth tan, do something about that ashy white look. Some bronzing, I'm sure the ladies will love it. Look at Mr. Sparrow! He's practically a neon sign he's glowing, and wouldn't you like to have a nice looking lady like Stacey on your arm?"

"Yes, sounds wonderful. Would you care for a drink, gentlemen, while you are waiting?" said Ramsley pulling back the curtain to the library and leading them inside.

"Yeah, don't mind if I do. Thanks Ramsley." said Jim looking around the two level libraries with exotic ornamentations and the glass conservatory adjacent to it. Jim looked up and saw Gracey's portrait and said, "Oh wow! Now that's class! That's what I need to do over at my place. Get a big picture of myself to put it on the living room wall. Adds a touch of elegance to the room!"

"Yes sir. Very elegant." said Ramsley giving Jack his drink.

"Trust me mate. It gets a little old!" said Jack nodding his thanks to Ramsley. Will looked curiously at Jack before taking his drink from Ramsley and saying,

"Thank you." Taking his drink, Jim said,

"Thank you so much Ramsley! Mmm. So Ramsley how long have you been a butler?"

"A long time." said Ramsley.

"And what are the most important qualifications in case I might be doing some interviewing?" asked Jim. Ramsley crossed the room giving Jack and Will the opportunity to look around them casually for the mirror as the butler said,

"Attending to every detail. Understanding priorities and above all, knowing ones place."

"And what does your boss like to do? What's he into? You know, what floats his boat?" asked Jim wanting to find a way to relate with Gracey.

"The Master likes a great many things. Art. Literature. Beauty."

"And all that stuff about ghosts, what'd he get like a bad clam in his jambalaya one night?" chuckled Jim taking a sip as Will and Jack exchanged a look that said,

'He'll be sorry.'

"You don't believe in ghosts' sir?" asked Ramsley showing interest.

"Absolutely not. Let me tell you something Ramsley. You only go around the track once. So do it full out all the way around!" said Jim sitting down on a settee.

"Now for the first time this evening I've found something to disagree with you Mr. Evers. For although I believe a man should live life to the fullest, he must pay respect to the supernatural world or else he may live to regret it." said Jack going around the desk.

"Well, you're entitled to your opinion!" said Jim.

"And it's an opinion that comes with experience, Mr. Evers. " said Jack giving Jim a warning in his voice. He may not have seen a ghost at Gracey Manor, but that did not mean Jack Sparrow didn't believe ghosts existed.

"Gentlemen, may I confide in you?" asked Ramsley as if he was sharing a secret.

"Please do." said Jim standing and looking uneasily at Jack.

"The Master is not well. He must leave this house, Mr. Evers. He must move on! It is of the greatest importance I assure you. Or I fear the very worst!" said Ramsley.

"What would be the very worst?" asked Will.

"I hate to think of it further gentlemen. Now if you will excuse me, I must attend to other matters of the house. The Master shall be with you shortly." said Ramsley leaving. Jim turned to them and said,

"I'm sure he was just exaggerating! Owners always do that when it comes to their house." They nodded and then began to wander around the room. Jim began to look through Gracey's desk when he found a box of cigars.

"Stogies! Not bad. Not bad at all. Hold on to that! Wonderful. Must be nice. Must be really nice. I tell ya." Jack went up the spiral staircase to search the upper level when he heard Jim ask Will,

"So Will, what do you do for a living?" While searching through the shelves, Will said,

"I'm a blacksmith."

"Really? Cool man. Like at one of those ye olden villages that charge ya an arm and a leg for a stupid felt hat?" said Jim. Will smiled at him,

"Something like that!"

"And what about you Jack? What's your handle?" asked Jim shaking a box of matches and putting them in his pocket. Jack paused for a moment and then said,

"I'm Captain of my own ship!"

"Oh, so it's Captain Jack Sparrow. Huh, when you say it like that it sounds so natural!" commented Jim smiling up at him.

"I always thought so!" said Jack. Jim went around to sit at the desk and he said to Will in a British accent,

"Hello there, good man. Ramsley fix the gentleman a drink!" Will laughed and sat before the desk while Jack came down and said,

"That is the worst British accent I've ever heard!" Jim looked at him out of the corner of his eye and then turned his attention back to Will and continued,

"Nigel, I just recently returned from the continent where I found the most interesting book."

"Really old man?" said Will playing along.

"Yes it's called "Raising the Dead"... Oh! Oh cripes!" said Jim reaching for a book but spilling his drink instead. Will and Jack came to help Jim as he said,

"Oh I hope that doesn't stain!" Jim stood, reaching for a stone bust on the desk for support, but the head came off on a hinge and a bookcase opened to reveal a hidden passage. Jim tried the head a few times and exclaimed,

"Wow!"

"That's interesting!" said Jack standing. Will came toward the door and looked inside saying,

"I wonder where this leads to?" They all stepped inside, only to have the bookcase slide back closed. Jim began to pound on the door and shout as Will and Jack tried their shoulders against it,

"Hey! Hey open this back up! Hey! Open up! Ramsley! Ramsley! Push the head back! Hey, will somebody push the head back?"


	6. Chapter 6

**_A/N: Hey guys, I know you guys are going to review after this chapter. I'm adding a character from Jack's past. Mu-haha!_**

**_peace, love and lipgloss,_**

**_Mlle.Fox_**

Meanwhile, Elizabeth stood from a trunk in their room and sighed,

"Well there's nothing in here!"

"Ah well! Goodnight!" said Stacey slipping into bed. Elizabeth pulled the covers off her and said,

"Come on! We have to check the rest of the house!" Defeated, Stacey followed her out into the hallway and asked,

"What are we gonna do if the mirror is in one of the Evers rooms?"

"We'll cross that bridge when we come to it!" said Elizabeth.

"You know, I don't even know what this mirror looks like?" said Stacey. Elizabeth pulled her half of the mirror out and handed it to her.

"It's the other half of this!" Stacey looked into it and to her surprise it glowed bright green and she stopped when she saw an image of her and Jack kissing.

"Stacey? What's wrong?" asked Elizabeth turning to her. Giving back the mirror, Stacey said,

"Nothin'!" They were about to continue when they heard Michael shout from his room,

"Megan!" Sensing something wrong, Elizabeth burst into their room and both women gasped at what they saw. Floating in the center of the room, being barked at by Murray, was a glowing blue ball of light. Elizabeth edged around it and Stacey closed the door. They stood in front of the kids on the other side of the room as Megan asked,

"What do you think it is?"

"It's a ghost ball!" squeaked Stacey in fright. The ball floated forward a little and then started towards the closed door.

"I think it wants us to follow it!" said Megan.

"I think you're crazy!" said her brother. The ball went right through the door and Elizabeth lead the way with Megan behind her saying,

"It does! It wants us to follow it!" Michael looked up at Stacey and then around the empty room, before grabbing his backpack and running out. Murray looked up at his owner before running after the boy and barking.

"Hey Megan wait up!" Stacey whined and slumped her shoulders before following after them saying,

"Why am I such a sucker for big brown eyes? Wouldn't be in this mess if it weren't for big brown eyes!"

&&&

Back in the secret passage, Jim lit a match illuminating Jack's dark orbs and said,

"Where's that scary albino when you need him?" Jack led the way and said,

"Come on. Where's there's a beginning there's an end, Savvy?" Then everything went dark and they heard an,

"Ouch!" Another match was lit, and Jim looked at them sheepishly,

"Sorry." Jack sighed and continued on. A few minutes later, they stopped again when the match went out.

"Ouch!" Before another match was lit, they heard a voice whisper,

"Get...out...!"

"Jack, was that you?" asked Will.

"No. Was that you Jim?" asked Jack.

"No man. Was that you Will?" asked Jim.

"No! Then who was it then?" asked Will. Jim lit the match and Jack said,

"Maybe a better question is to ask what was it?" They continued on with Jim saying,

"I should have listened to Sara and just driven straight for the lake! But no! I had to go for house number eight this month! Ouch!" The match burned out and they stopped again hearing a voice whisper with a cold wind picking up,

"Get...out!" A moan was heard too, before Jim lit another match.

"This is getting extremely interesting!" said Jack leading the way again. When the match went out again, this time they heard a deafening scream full of terror that sent chills down their spines.

"Every time there's no light, we hear something!" said Will.

"Oh, thank you Mister Obvious!" said Jim sarcastically lighting another match.

"Come on! I saw a light not too far ahead." said Jack. The light to be had was lit gas lamps in a stone room that spilt into three different tunnels. Jim shook out the match as Will asked,

"Which one should we take?"

"Let's spilt up. See where each leads, Savvy?" said Jack.

"Ah! Are you kiddin' me man?" said Jim.

"What are you sir? A man or a mouse?" asked Jack with a slight sway to his body. With determination, Jim went down the tunnel to the right and muttered,

"I'm a man, you Keith Richards's wannabe!" Jack smiled to Will and said,

"Till we meet again, Mr. Turner!" And with that, he walked down the center tunnel. Will took a deep breath and headed into the left tunnel saying,

"You better know what you're doing Jack!"

&&&

Sara stepped out of her room to see the plain, timid looking maid step out of a room with fresh towels.

"Oh hello! Have you seen my husband?" The maid looked to her, but pretended to not have heard her and she ran off down the hall.

"Excuse me! Wait! Wait!" yelled Sara chasing her. She came upon the grand hall and found nothing. It was like she vanished into thin air. Sara came down the stairs looking for her, when she turned and bumped in to Ramsley.

"Oh Ramsley! It's you!" she said catching her breath.

"May I help you?" asked Ramsley warmly.

"Yes, I was just looking for my husband." explained Sara.

"Ah indeed. I left him in the library. Right through there!" said Ramsley pointing out the way. Sara stepped past the curtains and came forward to the figure in the chair saying and reaching out for his shoulder,

"Honey? It's late. Let's not fight anymore. Come to bed?" But the figure stood revealing Edward Gracey. She knocked some books over on the floor and said,

"Oh! I'm sorry. Sorry about that!" Gracey began to help her pick up saying,

"Here let me help you. Ramsley hates it's when I leave thing lying about."

"Yes, he seems a bit proper." said Sara standing with a pile of books in her hand. Gracey placed some books on a desk and said,

"He strikes most people that way. Once you get to know him you find that's not the case. He's really..." he paused getting lost at her beauty. "He's really very sweet." He took the books from her, "Thank you. He's been like a father to me."

"Mr. Gracey? May I ask you something?" she questioned. Gracey turned to her.

"Yes of course. Anything!"

"This house. It's been in your family for generations. It's your home. Why do you want to sell it?" she asked.

"These walls are filled with so many memories. Some of them, painful. In order for you to understand, I really must show you." he said with a touch of sadness first, but then he cheered up and offered his arm to her, to which she looked at reluctantly, "It's all right, there's nothing to be afraid of." She took his arm as he continued, "Although it's a bit faded from it's original grandeur, this house was once filled with so many things. With so much life. With grand parties, dancing, laughter and above all, hope. Being a Gracey meant that you were denied nothing. The world was yours."

"What happened here Mr. Gracey?" asked Sara as he took her down into the conservatory.

"She did." he said reluctantly.

"Who?"

"Elizabeth. Her's is the story that haunts these walls." said Gracey seriously.

&&&

The elevator gates creaked open, and Michael and Stacey looked at it and then nodded to each other in agreement only to be held back by Megan and Elizabeth grabbing his backpack and her jeans.

"Come on!" said Megan following Elizabeth into the elevator where she saw the ghost ball disappear to.

"Megan wait! You don't know the last time that thing's been inspected!" said Michael.

"Will you relax?" Megan told her brother. Murray sniffed the elevator shaft and then entered barking enthusiastically at Stacey and Michael.

"Yes Michael, where's your sense of adventure?" asked Elizabeth as Michael reluctantly joined them.

"Stacey?" questioned Elizabeth as Stacey slumped her shoulders and stomped into the elevator.

"This is against all my better judgment!" said Michael as the doors closed.

"Your better judgment? I'm a stickin' adult an' I should know better!" said Stacey sarcastically as they began to go up.

&&&

Jim stepped out of a door, finding it to be a painting in the gallery. He started down the hall calling,

"Hi! is anyone home?" He never saw the paintings on the wall turn to pictures of death or the stone bust turn their heads to look at him going around the corner. Jim did notice a door at the end of the hall throbbing out of the doorframe.

"Those must be termites. Some big ol termites that's all!" he said nervously. He entered the dark room finding a window with black curtains flowing in the wind, but the window lead to nowhere. A phone began to ring from it's stand in the center of the room.

"Phone's dead, huh? Hello?" asked Jim answering. But all he heard was a click on the other end. He hung up the phone and turned to see a full length mirror before him, admiring himself for a second before a raven squawked at him. He jumped,

"Oh! Oh!" he looked back to the mirror and in terror saw himself as a rotten corspe. "Ahhh!" he screamed shutting his eyes. When he dared to look again, his image was back to normal and he fingered his face trying to figure out what he saw.

&&&

Will opened a door and found himself in an elaborate bedroom. He looked out the window and saw a small dock on the river. A warehouse made of rotting wood sat on the pier, making Will curious as to what was down there. Then lightning flashed and Will thought he saw a ship on the river coming in on the dock. He shook his head and looked again and nothing was there. He turned back to the room and started to look around for the mirror. He turned the room upside down, but stopped when he heard a click at the door. He crossed the room and tried the knob finding it locked from the outside.

"Hey! Hello!" called Will knocking on the door. Then he heard more clicking and a low rumbling coming from above. He looked up and saw the ceiling coming down!

"HEY! IN HERE! HEY!" yelled Will pounding on the door. The bedposts on the bed began to break and Will looked around in desperation around the room. The door he had come in was closed and now blocked off by the lowering ceiling, and the windows were as well. Then he looked to the fireplace and ran for it, ducking into the fireplace just as the ceiling slammed to the floor. Will sat in the dark fireplace trying to catch his breath, terrified it might be one of his last, when he leaned against the wall and it moved on him. He turned his body around and pushed on it more until it opened all the way to a hidden passage mysteriously being lit by gas lamps, one by one. Will crawled through and then stood looking on in wonder before moving on saying to himself,

"That's interesting!"

&&&

The elevator led to a dim hallway and then they followed the ghost ball up a set of stairs finding an attic with a collection of dust and antiques.

"Think the mirror might be up here?" asked Stacey.

"This is as good as place as any to find it. And the ghost ball disappeared so we can look around for whatever it wanted us to find, too." said Elizabeth.

"What mirror?" asked Megan. Elizabeth and Stacey looked to each other and then Elizabeth kneeled before the kids and said,

"Alright, we aren't here because we got lost. We came here on purpose to find a mirror. It's very valuable and very old and we need it to help us get home."

"So why didn't you just ask Mr. Gracey where it was?" asked Michael.

"Oh sure, that's an ice breaker! Hey Mr. Gracey. Nice to meet you, nice house, say where do ya keep all your old mirrors?" said Stacey sarcastically.

"What Stacey is trying to say in her own infuriating way, is that we couldn't just ask for the mirror because it's that special. Do you think you can keep an eye out for it?" asked Elizabeth.

"I guess we could. What does it look like?" asked Megan. Elizabeth pulled the half-mirror out and said,

"It's the other half of this!"

"Cool!" said Megan fingering the etching.

"Alright can we get lookin' before that floatin' volleyball comes back?" asked Stacey. Elizabeth stood and said,

"Alright, let's start!" Stacey bent down to Murray and said,

"Okay Murray baby! I need you to use that nose of yours! Okay honey?"

"Bark!" replied Murray before taking his nose to the ground and getting on the trail. They looked around the attic for a minute, combing through what was once beloved family treasures. Stacey came upon a beautiful cream gown on a dressing form and exclaimed,

"Ooh!" Elizabeth came over to see what she was looking at and said fingering the delicate skirt,

"Oh, how beautiful!" Megan came up and asked,

"I wonder who owned it?" Michael rolled his eyes at the sight of girls talking about clothes and then turned a corner. Murray barked and Michael came face to face with something that made him call out,

"Megan!" Megan joined her brother with Elizabeth and Stacey behind and they all saw a portrait of a beautiful black woman in a yellow dress.

"Mom?" asked Megan. It was true. The person in the painting looked exactly like Sara.

"What are you doing here? You can't be here! This is unspeakable! Unspeakable! You have to leave!" said the butler Ezra appearing out of nowhere to make them jump.

"Who is that?" asked Megan.

"None of your business that's who! Now come on, get out of here! It's way past your bedtime!" he said trying to usher the kids out. Then the maid with a plate of cookies said behind him,

"Her name was Elizabeth! Are you kids' hungry? Does anybody want a cookie?"

"Cookies? Don't give them any cookies. They're trespassers! Trespassers don't get cookies! This is none of their concern!" said Ezra to his wife Emma as Megan, Michael and Stacey each took a cookie.

"This is their concern, they're involved!" Emma yelled back at him.

"Involved with what?" asked Elizabeth.

"This house is cursed! And you all are in terrible danger!" said Emma. Ezra threw up his hands,

"Here we go!"

"Curse? What curse?" asked Stacey gulping down her cookie.

"Elizabeth killed herself in this house! She was Mr. Gracey's love! Now, all those who were present when that bad luck fell on that night are cursed for eternity! We and all the guests were trapped here when Mr. Gracey hung himself here in the attic!" blurted out Emma.

"Hung himself?" asked Megan.

"How could we have eaten with Mr. Gracey no more than an hour ago, if he had hung himself?" asked Elizabeth starting to get nervous. Emma and Ezra looked to each other before Emma said quietly,

"Because he's a ghost. We're all ghosts!"

"Say what?" asked Stacey in disbelief. Emma set the plate down on a trunk and then to their amazement, she floated up into the air, a wisp of blue smoke floating around her body before floating back down to the floor. Stacey rolled her eyes and she fainted into Elizabeth's arms. Then they all heard a noise coming up the stairs.

"Hide! Hide!" said Emma as she and Ezra ushered the children out of sight. Elizabeth dragged Stacey to join them saying,

"Stacey! Now is not the time to be a wimp!" Out of the shadows of the gloomy attic, Ramsley walked up and asked,

"The children are not in their room. Have you seen them?"

"Children? What children?" asked Emma. He looked at her suspiciously, before picking up the tray of cookies and saying,

"What children? Her children. The children she wasn't suppose to bring! Along with that brainless husband of hers!" Confused, Emma and Ezra each took a cookie and Emma smiled,

"Thank you." But upon seeing the dry look on his face, they returned the cookies to their place. Giving Emma the tray, Ramsley began to pace,

"If I had to listen to another word from that insufferable fool, I think I would have burst!"

"Of course sir! What a fool!" said Ezra kissing up.

"And then that Sparrow and Turner and their little tramps show up as well! Do you know they are tearing the house apart trying to find something to steal? Is it really too much to ask for a little cooperation, a little order?" barked Ramsley sounding more and more maniacal. Stacey woke and almost screamed upon seeing Ramsley, but Elizabeth put a hand to her mouth and shushed her. Then Elizabeth led Stacey and the kids along the floor while Ramsley's back was turned and Ezra said,

"Of course not sir!"

"If you find the children bring them to me." ordered Ramsley as the kids and women hid.

"Certainly sir."

"Yes sir." said Ezra and Emma bowing and dropping in to a curtsy.

"The final arrangements have been made. Nothing will interfere with the master's plan!" said Ramsley walking back into the shadows.

&&&

Meanwhile, Jack pushed open a door and found himself in the kitchen pantry. He walked into the main kitchen and saw no one about. He saw some leftover chicken and turned up his nose.

"That chicken just didn't taste right!" he muttered to himself as he began to look in drawers for the mirror. Unknowst to Jack, a large butcher's knife began to float up in the air on the other side of the room. It floated right up behind Jack and lifted itself high over his head. Jack just happened to catch his reflection in a shiny brass pot hanging over the stove, when he saw something over his head. He ducked just as the blade swung at his head.

"Whoa!" yelled Jack still trying to run from the floating blade. Suddenly, all the drawers and cabinets began to shake and rattle loudly. Jack backed up cautiously eyeing the kitchen when a great mass of flames rose up from the stove threatening to singe his dreadlocks off. Then plates and glasses began to fly out of the cabinets hurling themselves at Jack. He covered his head as much as he could, but when the drawers opened and a large collection of knives floated to join the butcher's knife in the air, Jack gulped. He started to run for the door but it slammed shut on him. He jiggled the handle and then edged along the wall to the pantry, but that door slammed shut as well. Finally, he saw an ornate brass dumbwaiter in the wall on the other end of the room. Making a go for it, he ran to the other side, the collection of knives heading straight for him in pursuit. He threw open a few cabinet doors trapping some knives inside, but a dozen or so still gained on him as he ducked inside the cramped dumbwaiter. He shut the door and watched as the door became dented with the impaling silverware. He released a breath and a prayer and then this thought occurred to him, how was he going to get out?

"I hope Stacey never hears of this!" he said to himself.

&&&

As he said this, Elizabeth pulled Stacey up and told Ezra and Emma,

"Stay here with the children! Don't let Ramsley get them!"

"Defy Ramsley! Can we do that?" Ezra asked Emma.

"Elizabeth! Where in the Sam hill do you think you're goin'?" asked Stacey.

"We have to find Will and Jack. They have to know the house is haunted and Mrs. Evers is in danger!" Elizabeth told her.

"We?" questioned Stacey as Elizabeth groaned and pulled her towards the door. They went down the stairs and Megan appeared at the top calling them back,

"Hey! You can't just leave us here!"

"Yeah, that's our Mom you're talking about!" said Michael.

"And your mother wouldn't want you two in danger...don't worry...I promise nothing bad will happen to her..." reassured Elizabeth.

"'Sides, ya'll don't want to end up with that Ramsley dude, do you?" asked Stacey.

"No..."said Megan defeated.

"There you go, come on Elizabeth! Take care of Murray!" said Stacey as they made their way past the elevator, not seeing a dark shadow appear and disappear in a mirror they passed. They made it back to the elevator and Stacey hit the button as Elizabeth shut the doors saying,

"I hope Will and Jack are okay!"

"Elizabeth, don't worry. You know better than anybody they can take care of themselves, right?" said Stacey.

"_But who shall take care of you...Miss?" _echoed the old voice of Ramsley as the two women both widened their eyes in fright.

"Oh...crud..." said Stacey. Then, they heard a groan and something snapped. The elevator jerked and began to fly below, defying space by descending in a never-ending free-fall. They screamed and hit the bottom of the elevator floor hard. As they continued to drop, Elizabeth screamed,

"What do we do?" Stacey looked up and saw the vent to the elevator on the ceiling.

"Give me a boost!" yelled Stacey as Elizabeth nodded and lifted Stacey's form up by the legs. Stacey fought a moment with the vent, before it gave way. Stacey climbed out, then reached down to grab Elizabeth and pull her up. As they fought to hold on, they saw a repeating doorway to a hall whiz past.

"On three, we jump for it! Ready?" yelled Stacey.

"Okay!" agreed Elizabeth.

"One...two...three!" yelled Stacey jumping for the edging. Elizabeth caught the edge but Stacey slipped and was about to fall when Elizabeth grabbed her hand. She pulled her up to grab the edge and then they both hoisted themselves to the hallway. They looked back down the shaft the second they heard a loud crash. They fought to catch their breath as Elizabeth said,

"That was quick thinking back there..."

"Thanks!" panted Stacey out of breath.

"You know...you're braver than you think you are..." smiled Elizabeth squeezing Stacey hands warmly.

"Come on! Let's find the guys!" said Stacey pulling her up.

"Right! You go this way! I'll go that way!" said Elizabeth getting ready to turn.

"Whoa, hold up now, whoa! What? Elizabeth are you nuts? Do you remember what just happened there?" asked Stacey in fright.

"More than likely Ramsley thinks we're dead. We need to split up to search more ground." said Elizabeth walking one way. Stacey turned, not seeing or hearing Elizabeth as she squeaked while dropping down a trap door,

"Alright but if I end up dead, I'm coming back to haunt ya! Elizabeth?" When she saw Elizabeth gone, she warily turned a corner trying to hold back her fear. But she jumped when she ran into someone.

"Whoa!" Jim yelled jumping back.

"Oh! Mr. Evers, it's you!" breathed Stacey in relief.

"Thank God! I've been wandering around here for hours! Do you know a way out of here?" Jim asked,

"Not really...but listen Mr. Evers...I have to tell ya..." started Stacey. Jim stopped her listening,

"Wait, did you hear that?" He turned and lead her down the hall where there was a glowing green light.

"Thank God I heard your voice! Listen, I need some help. We don't know how to get out of here! I'm sorry if I sound a little frazzled...but I just had myself a little freak show back there!" he called to the voice.

_"It's time to respond!"_

"I was suppose to meet with Mr. Gracey! But I got stuck in the wall with two Brits!" said Jim as he led Stacey into a room decorated with Persian tapestries like the room was a tent. In the center of the room was a table covered with a tablecloth, and a glowing green ball.

_"Goblins and ghoulies from last Halloween, awaken the sprits with your tambourine!"_ said the feminine voice.

"Ok, I hear you but I don't see you, where are you?" asked Jim as he and Stacey looked around. Stacey grabbed his arm and pointed to the ball in terror. Jim widened his eyes as a woman's head turned to him from inside the ball.

"I am Madame Leota. Seerer of all, voice of the sprits. Whom do you seek?" she said.

"Oh...sweet...Jesus help us!" cried Stacey. Jim leaned over getting a good look,

"No...no. Must be holograms or something!" Then, a chair flew in from the hall and sat Jim sat pinning him to the table. Stacey backed away, only to have a second chair come from behind the tapestries and pin her down as well.

"OH!" Stacey cried. Jim protested,

"Hey! Hey! Hey what are you doing? Let me out of here!"

"Silence! Whom do you seek?" demanded Madame Leota.

"I am seeking a way outta here!" hissed Jim.

"Then you must look within." she told him.

"I don't want to look within! I want to look without! Are you deaf?" Jim asked the glowing orb head,

"And blind! Listen! Let us go! We have nothin', and want nothin' to do with this! Just let us go!" demanded Stacey. Leota's head spun to face her,

"Silence! You are the one who is blind! To your fate and your Corsair love!" Stacey frowned at this in wonder as Jim barked,

"Ok, Madame Bowling Ball! I'm about to get kung fu on your sorry self! Now what's her fate and what's the way out?"

"There is great evil in this house. A devil's curse. It seeks to destroy you!" Leota told them gravely.

"Great!" laughed Stacey nervously.

"Why would something seek to destroy me? I'm just trying to sell the house ok?" Jim told her.

"Dark sprits from the grave come forth. Lift us from the black and show us the way back!" Leota chanted. Stacey squeaked,

"Say what?"

"Dark spirits? Hey no dark spirits! Don't you make no dark spirits come out!" Jim said.

"Lift us! Lift us up to the light and see us through this stormy night!" said Leota beginning to glow brighter and lifting of the table.

"Hey, hey, hey, hey!" shouted Stacey as she and Jim were lifted with the rest of the table.

"Hey, I'd really like to stay on the ground! I'd rather stay on the ground! Can I stay on the ground please? " asked Jim desperately as their chairs and the table began to spin violently around the room surrounded by flying Tarot card and musical instruments.

"JACK!" yelled Stacey in terror, praying for his comforting arms.

"Evil and darkness have fallen this night. But now to survive you must gain new sight!" Leota rhymed.

"I must first gain new underwear!" quipped Jim in fear.

"JACK!" shouted Stacey in fear of never seeing his gold ridden grin again.

"Only the light will lead the way! Follow it and find your way home!" Leota told them.

"There's no place like home! There's no place like home! There's no place like home! There's no place like home!" prayed Jim clasping his hands.

"JACK!" screamed Stacey wanting him to rescue her.

"Look inside yourselves and become what you where meant to be. Look into the glass to find what you need to defeat this evil is the key!" recited Leota.

"AHH!" yelled Jim ducking from the trombone aimed at his head.

"JAACCCKKKK!"

"Go Mr. Evers! Your family is at sake! Go Miss St. Claire! You're friends are at sake! Your very lives are at stake! Break the curse! There is no escape for you unless you lift this spell! Go! Save yourselves! Save your family, your friends! Release her! Release us all!" cried Leota.

"Getting so queasy! I'm getting very queasy!" Jim rambled on looking a little green around the gills.

"Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!" crackled Madame Leota. Then she vanished from the crystal ball and everything fell down to the floor once more. Stunned, Stacey twitched her upper lip and stared blankly out into space. Jim was breathing hard and he cried,

"Ohh!" The next thing they knew, they were both tearing down the corridors screaming at the top of their lungs, occasionally pushing the other behind them as they began to be chased my the floating musical instruments.

"AAAAAAHHHHHHH!"

&&&

Ramsley manifested himself into the library in a wisp of blue mist and fumed. Dash it all! They got to the gypsy! How the devil were the Master's wishes to be fulfilled? Suddenly, a gush of wind blew open a nearby shutter sending in an icy wind. He crossed the room and closed the window tight. Nothing would be out of order in his house. But when he turned, he saw a tall figure engulfed in shadows behind him. The fire only illuminated his wilted feathered hat and one gold tooth in a feral grin.

"Sir, I must ask you to leave. The Master does not like uninvited guests!" Ramsley told him.

"Ah, but what if I could rid ye of the 'breathing' uninvited guests you got now?" the man said in a husky and common British tongue.

"Who are you?" asked Ramsley.

"Just a monster off the edge of the map, mate!" he told Ramsley before chuckling heartily.

_&&&_


	7. Chapter 7

**_A/N: Thank you to all who reviewed. For those of you who have never seen Haunted Mansion before, go out and rent it! It's a fun movie to enjoy. There's no Jack but hey it's still fun._**

**_And listen, there's going to be some confusing dialogue at one point because I'm having two characters tell the same story at the same time in different places. So bear with me._**

**_And finally, I am going to be finishing this story sooner than I thought. I have no homework this weekend so I'm going to try to finish it but that's not the end of the fun folks. Because coming Halloween night, I'll bring to you 'Pirate's of the Haunted Mansion' Special Halloween Edition! It's going to be the whole story again, but this time the spelling will be revised and there will be great bonus features. Character interviews, gag reel and I'm working out an idea for a "You choose the adventure' type story game. The basic concept is you must help Jack and Jim save their loved ones from being ghosts numbers 1000-1007 and break the curse of Gracey Manor! (or 1007 1/2 if you count Murray!) _**

**_So if you have any suggestions or questions, read and review!_**

**_peace, love and lipgloss, _**

**_Mlle.Fox_**

When Elizabeth came to, she found herself covered in darkness. She tried to sit up, but immediately her head hit hard stone.

"Ow! What in the world...?" She felt along the top and then found a side, then another to her right and one over her head. With a panic her heart started to pound furiously. She could actually hear her own heart beating. She had come to the realization that she was in a coffin.

"WIILLL! WWIIILLLL! WWWIIIILLLLL!" she began screaming pounding on the top of the coffin in vain. The smell of death filled her senses and she knew air was in short supply. She was about to give up hope and start crying, when the lid slide off letting in glories moonlight and fresh Louisiana air. She blinked her eyes a moment and then settled on the face that leaned over her in concern.

"Elizabeth!" cried Will. Sitting up in a shot, she wrapped her arms around his neck,

"Will!" The mind is a curious thing. All Elizabeth was thinking was Will must be cold because he had taken off his jacket to work on the aboveground coffin that sat near the house. However, she was happy he was holding her and that those strong, biceps could be seen peeking out of the short sleeves he wore.

"Elizabeth! Darling, are you alright?" She sniffed back a few tears and said,

"Now that you're here!" He pulled her back to look her in the eye,

"Elizabeth, how'd you get here?"

"I don't know! One minute I was talking to Stacey, the next I flew threw a shoot and everything went black! How'd you know where to find me?" she asked. He ran his fingers through her hair,

"I had just come out of a secret passage when I heard you screaming."

"Oh, Will! I hate this! Who decided we should be tested and tried just to get a stupid mirror and get back home!" she asked him. Pulling her up and lifting her out of the coffin he said,

"I don't know!" She absently looked over his shoulder and furrowed her brows.

"Will, is that a ship?" Will looked behind him and said in the distance just over a few trees and acres of graveyard a small tall-ship peeking its sails out over the trees.

"It must be moored at that small dock I saw on the river!" he told her.

"Let's check it out! Maybe the mirror is in there!" said Elizabeth.

"Are you insane!" Will asked her.

"Come on! What else could happen to us?" said Elizabeth pulling him along.

"Speaking of which, what happened to Stacey?" asked Will.

"Where's Stacey? How about where's Jack?" asked Elizabeth.

&&&

Megan sighed in exasperation,

"Man, we should be out there looking for Mom and Dad!"

"Now Miss, Mrs. Turner said you had to stay here with us!" Emma told her.

"Bark! Bark!"

"Hey, what's up with Murray?" asked Michael as he saw the small black dog jumping up on a wall in the corner. Ezra furrowed his brow and said,

"He must smell something in the dumbwaiter!"

"Who'd put a dumbwaiter in an attic?" asked Megan.

"What's a dumbwaiter?" asked Michael.

"Well, in our day, dumbwaiters were used to carry food up and down to different floors…where's that switch? " answered Ezra searching the walls beside the ornate brass inset.

"And when you spend hours dusting or goes through a winter wardrobe, you get a little hungry!" finished Emma.

"Oh!" said Michael.

"Ah-ha! Here it is!" exclaimed Ezra pushing a button. With a creak and a groan the dumbwaiter roared to life.

"In a few seconds, we'll know what Murray was barking at!" said Emma.

"Must be heavy! Hear how much it's groaning?" Ezra asked the children who nodded. When the dumbwaiter stopped Ezra opened the doors and they all gasped.

"Mr. Sparrow!" exclaimed Michael as Jack blinked a few times from his rather uncomfortable position.

"What are you doing in there?" asked Ezra.

"Having tea…what does it ruddy look like? Get me out!" snapped Jack. They all pulled his tall frame out of the little box grunting and groaning right along with him.. When Jack stood, a loud crack was heard from his lower back and he groaned,

"That's going to smart in the morning!" As he rubbed his lower back, Megan asked,

"So what were you doing in there?"

"Hiding for my life from flying…." Jack hesitated. He didn't want to alarm the little treasure-snipes, so he continued, "…Pigeons!" As he furrowed his brow at how badly that explanation was, Megan rolled her eyes and said,

"We know the house is haunted Mr. Sparrow!"

"First of all little darlin', Mr. Sparrow is my father. I'm Jack, Savvy? And secondly, who tipped you off?" Both the children pointed to Ezra and Emma standing off to the side. They both smiled and waved nervously. Putting the pieces together, Jack said,

"Why doesn't that ruddy surprise me?" Suddenly, they heard shouting from below and Jack led the way to investigate. He saw Stacey run in the stairwell after Jim almost getting her coatcaught as Jim slammed the door behind them and leaned against the door catching his breath. A few thumps were heard against the door as Megan exclaimed behind Jack,

"Dad!"

"Dad!" cried Michael as Jack came down a few steps and said,

"Stacey?"

"Jack!" she cried running up to throw herself into his arms.

"Hey, Michael and Megan you okay?" asked Jim catching his breath.

"We're fine thanks." Said Megan.

"Alright, get your things, let's get out of here! Let's go!" said Jim beckoning them down.

"But Dad we have a problem!" said Megan.

"Because of the rain? We're going to get a little wet. Let's just find your Mom and get out of here! Let's go!"

"I'm afraid that's not possible! She can't leave!" said Ezra behind Megan at the top of the stairs. Jim put his hands on his hips and demanded,

"And why not?" Ezra appeared in a mist beside Jim. Jim jumped as Ezra explained,

"Because she can't! If I could tell you I would, but I can't so I won't ok?" Stacey's jaw dropped at this as she spun around to Jack and said,

"Jack! The house! The house really is haunted!"

"I know Luv, I know!" said Jack looking to Jim, who was still gaping at Ezra,

"Hey, how'd you...? Hey, look come on! Daddy's having more hallucinations! Let's go! Right now!" Ignoring her father's beckoning, Megan told him,

"They're ghosts Dad!"

"They're not ghosts!" said Jim.

"Mate, they are! I've seen things too." Jack told him. Jim shook his head, still unconvinced,

"We're just having hallucinations from that dinner we ate! It was that chicken! It didn't taste right!" Emma rushed down the stairs is a wisp of blue mist and shouted,

"Hey!"

"Whoa!" cried Jim jumping back from the maid. Jack and Stacey jumped back as well, with Jack exclaiming,

"Blimey!"

"It wasn't the chicken!" cried Emma.

"Alright it's not the chicken! It's not the chicken!"

"That chicken did not taste right…" started Jack. Emma whirled around and an animal growl was heard from deep in her throat and her eyes glowed a dangerous blue. Jack jumped back and rambled,

"It was perfect! Chicken was perfect! Divine even!"

"But we're getting out of here!" said Jim.

"But Dad! We have to help them!" said Megan. Murray barked in agreement.

"You can't help the dead honey! They're beyond help! That's the nature of being dead!" said Jim.

"The man's making sense! Everyone should just keep their noses in their own business!" said Ezra as Emma came down to stand by his side.

"But Dad, we have to help them break the curse!" said Michael. Spinning his beaded strands around with the rest of his head, Jack asked him,

"Curse?"

"The curse that's keepin' all the ghosts here!" Stacey told him.

"Why is everybody taking about a curse? Hey wait a minute. Have you been talking to that crazy green gypsy in the giant paperweight? "asked Jim.

"Gypsy? He knows the gypsy! We got to go back to see her!" said Emma opening the door. Jim stopped her by saying,

"Oh no! No! No back! I'm not going back!"

"No, no back!" muttered Stacey shaking her head in fear.

"But Dad! "said Michael.

"Hey they had me and Stacey floating all around the room!" said Jim.

"Dad!" cried Megan as they came down the steps.

"The ball was glowin' and stuff was flyin' over our heads really really fast!" rambled Stacey begging Jack's eyes to not take her back there.

"Stacey!" Jack began trying to appeal to her.

"Hey we was strapped to a chair floating around the room with a marching band chasing me! I'm not going back anywhere, forget it Casper!" yelled Jim pointing a finger in Ezra's face.

"But Mom's in trouble!" cried Michael.

"What kind of trouble?" asked Jim his fear turning into concern.

&&&

The dock by the river was nothing more than rotten wood hanging on with an inch of its life. It creaked under Will and Elizabeth's feet as they cautiously stepped up to the door of the warehouse. Will creaked open a door and saw not only old crates and trunks loaded with goods, but a dark entryway leading to a descending staircase.

"Must be another tunnel. I'll bet it leads back to the house!" Will told her.

"Then let's find out!" said Elizabeth. Suddenly they heard over their shoulder,

"Not today, chump!" They spun around and saw nothing, but a violent and cold wind began to pick up all around them. Grabbing her hand, Will started to run off the dick yelling,

"We've got to get out of here!" But just before they reached the end of the pier, a great mass of blue light swooped down from the tress and destroyed the end of the dock cutting them off from land.

"Move!" yelled Will pulling Elizabeth towards the ship. The blue ball of light swooped down again, this time, dividing into twenty smaller blue lights that faded a bit to reveal the snaggletooth, ugly, rough looking band of spirits. And just by looking at their exotic dress and dangerous smiles the Turner's knew the ghosts before them had been former pirates. Elizabeth screamed and Will realized with a start that they were very familiar pirates. Two stepped forward pointing their glowing cutlasses at Will's throat. The shorter-fatter one with long greasy hair smiled and said,

"Well, well, well! Master William Turner!" His taller, thinner companion with a scarecrow appearance and a wooden eye added,

"The spittin' image of ol' Bootstrap Bill! "

"But this time…" said a voice that sent chills down Will and Elizabeth's spines. They turned and saw the tall, ragged middle aged man stepping into the circle his crew had formed around them. His teeth were green, his cold blue eyes yellowed with scurvy and his long gray brown locks glowing with a slight blue like the rest of him. A skeletal monkey hopped on his shoulder and screeched as he continued,

"This time WE be the one's doin' the hauntin'!" Stunned, Elizabeth whispered,

"Captain Barbossa!"

"This just got a little more complicated!" muttered Will.

"What are you doing here?" asked Elizabeth. Barbossa stepped forward,

"Well young Miss! When that fool Jack Sparrow shot me down in cold blood and leavin' my crew to the gallows..."

"Stupid blighter!" exclaimed the one they remembered as Ragetti as the rest shouted in agreement. Barbossa continued,

"We was cursed in death as we were cursed in life! But this time, this time we are condemned to wander the earth until we save 888 souls in observance of the cursed treasure we stole and how many lives we killed to repay the blood debt."

"But didn't you pay back the blood debt with your own blood?" asked Will.

"Aye, but, we killed a lot of good men just to get our hands on that gold we spent!" said Barbossa grinning evilly as his crew chuckled in agreement.

"Why are you here?" asked Elizabeth. Barbossa shifted uncomfortibly and his crew looked embrassed,

"Well, being pirates, it's sort of hard to do a good deed….But when we heard tale of a New Orleans mansion that had become a gathering place for the very dead…well we thought the dead count as souls needing saving. I just offered our services to that Mr. Ramsley up at the house!"

"To do what?" asked Will.

"Keep his uninvited guests from meddling with Mr. Gracey getting his hands on that Mrs. Evers." Said Barbossa.

"What?" asked Will.

"Will, Mr. Gracey is dead! He's a ghost! The house is all ghosts! And Mr. Gracey thinks Sara is his true love reincarnated!" said Elizabeth.

"Why didn't you tell me this earlier?" demanded Will.

"It slipped my mind!" said Elizabeth.

"Elizabeth!" said Will. Then they both jumped when a pistol went off in the air. They looked to Barbossa who still held his smoking pistol in his folded arms.

"Now, that I have your undivided attention! Tell me Mr. Turner…how'd you and the young Miss end up in the twenty first century?" Barbossa asked. Will looked down and said,

"It won't do any good lying will it?" asked Will.

"No it really won't!" said Barbossa smugly.

"Will!" protested Elizabeth.

"We found a magic mirror on the beach and it sent us here. We need the mirror to get home and it's in Gracey Manor." said Will only telling half the truth.

"And now you're caught up in this elaborate mystery, aye?" asked Barbossa.

"Yes." Said Will as Elizabeth caught on to what he was doing..

"Well, then we'll only keep you a little while Mr. Turner! Until the curse is lifted from the house and us!" said Barbossa.

"We will?" asked the fat pirate called Pintel. Barbossa rolled his eyes,

"Yes, Mr. Pintel! It wouldn't do us any good takin' any more lives so lower your weapons!" Pintel grunted in disapproval as the other all groaned. Will scrutinized Barbossa and said,

"So you're not goin to harm us?"

"No Mr. Turner. Being dead a few centuries gives a man time to think. I don't hold it against ye and your lass you tried to defend yourself. I would'a done the same thing!" said Barbossa.

"Well, you seemed to develop some honor in your death Captain Barbossa!" said Elizabeth hautingly.

"Thank ye Miss! I'd like to think so."

"You said Ramsley agreed to let you help him. What else did he tell you?" asked Will.

"I suppose you're wondering how Gracey Manor came to be cursed is that it?" asked Barbossa.

"Do you know?" asked Elizabeth. Barbossa looked over the both of them and nodded,

"Aye. I know the tragic tale of Mr. Edward Gracey and his love Miss Elizabeth Henshaw." He pointed behind him to the manor.

"She died there…in that house!"

&&&

"She was so very young. So very beautiful. She was in love with the heir to this mansion. " said Edward Gracey at the same time Barbossa was telling the tale. He had just finished telling Sara about Elizabeth and how she came to Gracey Manor. He turned to Sara as she exclaimed,

"Your grandfather!" Staring intensely at her, Gracey said,

"And he loved her more than life itself! "

&&&

Barbossa told the Turners,

"But they were from different worlds and couldn't be together!"

&&&

"How did she die Mr. Gracey?" Sara asked Mr. Gracey as they stood in the conservatory.

"She took her own life..." Gracey told her.

&&&

"Poison!" answered Barbossa watching Elizabeth as she put a hand to her mouth. He continued,"After that his life became unbearable…"

&&&

"And so, without love...without hope...without...Elizabeth…" said Gracey staring sadly out the window.

&&&

"…He hung himself. He wanders those halls waiting for her to return…" said Barbossa. The Turners were now sitting on some nearby crates and the crew were sitting on the deck listening instently to Barbossa as he told the tale. Sitting Indian style, holding his chin in his hand, Ragetti sighed,

"Now that's romantic that is!"

&&&

"If you listen carefully, you can still hear the beating of his broken heart!" Gracey told her staring at her again with those intense eyes of his. Sara could have sworn she actually heard a beating heart.

&&&

"Now wait a minute, hold it a second! You're telling me this guy is dead and the reason we were brought here is cause he wants to get jiggy with my wife?" Jim asked Madame Leota as he and to others gathered around the table in the séance room.

"Pretty much. Are you upset?" asked Ezra.

"The guy is dead and he's trying to get with my wife! And the house isn't really for sale? Yes I'm upset!" Jim told him before beginning to pace.

"Your wife is in danger and your career is in jeopardy. At least you have your priorities straight!" Jack said dryly.

"Hey man, don't you start on me! I feel bad enough about bringing my family here! At least you can say your being here was an accident!" Jim said.

"No it wasn't. They came looking for the mirror…opps." said Michael turning sheepish when he saw Jack making wild gestures to shut his mouth. Jim started, looking at his son, before spinning around and catching Jack's eye and said,

"What?"

"Half a mirror to find to take them home to the past. Half the mirror they have and courage to last!" Leota told them in rhyme. Jim looked up at Jack again. Stacey was glaring at Leota and Jack was rubbing the back of his neck.

"Hey wait a minute! That pirate! That pirate Gracey was talking about at dinner! He's you! You're him! You're that pirate!" Jack sighed,

"Yes Jim. I confess. I'm a pirate. Captain Jack Sparrow to you, Savvy?"

"Cool!" exclaimed Michael as Jack gave him a small grin.

Jim looked to Stacey beside Jack and demanded,

"And who are you? A Scarlet O'Hara wanna-be from the Civil War?"

"No! I'm a country singer they met in a honky tonk! They paid me some money and promised me a record producer's business card if I helped them get here!" Stacey told him rubbing Murray's ears furiously.

"Man, wha…wha…wha…aw…AW- CHOO!" said Jim backing away from Murray,

"Well now that we have things all out in the open, I suggest we start working on finding Sara and the Turners and get the bloody hell out of here!" Jack said.

"But what if your Sara really is our Elizabeth?" asked Ezra.

"Oh Madame Leota! Is it her? Is she truly out dearly departed Elizabeth come back to us?" asked Emma.

"It is true. She walks these halls." Leota told them as Emma gasped.

"You see? I told you it was her!" Ezra told them all.

"But do not be deceived! Things are not always as they appear. For the curse to be lifted, the truth must be known. For the truth to be known you must find the key!" Leota said.

"Hey what are you talking about ball lady? What key?" asked Jim his intrest piqued.

"Travel to the tomb under the great dead oak and travel deep under the ground. And there you will find the key that must be found. Find the black crypt that bears no name or soon your fate will be the same!" Leota told them in verse.

"Oh great!Another ruddy treasure hunt!" said Jack rolling his eyes. Ignoring him, Jim said,

"You're telling me all I have to do is find this key and I can walk out of here with my wife and kids like nothing ever happened?"

"The key is the answer to all!" said Leota putting stress on the word 'key'.

"Well great! I'm in, let's find this key!" said Jim. Jack leaned towards Leota and said,

"Luv if you could just direct us to that mirror we need to find!"

"Hey wait, aren't you going to help us?" asked Jim.

"Mate, I wish you the best. But the business of finding this key of yours is your own. I'm going to find my friends and get that mirror and get us back to the 17th century before you can say 'Robert's your Uncle!" said Jim.

"Why you selfish, greedy, lowdown…" started Jim. Jack interrupted by saying as if it were obvious,

"Pirate!" He turned back to Leota, "Now, Madame. The mirror?" Leota turned up the corner of her lips, and said smugly,

"Travel to the tomb under the great dead oak and travel deep under the ground. And there you will find the mirror that must be found. Find the black crypt that bears no name or soon your fate will be the same!"

"Oh no!" said Stacey an octave higher as Jack shut his eyes and winced. When Jack dared to peek out at the black man beside him, Jim said with a smirk on his face,

"Welcome to the treasure hunt Captain!" Jack grinned and draped a shoulder around Jim's shoulder,

"Now Mate! Did ye really think I was going leave you and your lovely family high and dry to face the undead all by your onesies? Come on! Let's go get that mirror…"

"And that key!" reminded Jim.

"And that key, and save my friends and your bonnie lass!" exclaimed Jack.

"There's only one problem!" said Megan..

"Yeah. How do we get out of here?" asked Michael.

"Yeah, how do we get out of here?" Jim asked Leota. Ezra answered,

"Well there's always...uh…my way!" Before anyone could blink Stacey ran out the room. Jack followed on her heels but didn't catch her until she found the foyer. She pulled on the locked front door despertily as Jack skidded up next to her,

"Luv, come on!" Pulling and crying out, Stacey had to be dragged from the front door by Jack who held her tight around the waste as she screamed,

"NO! I don't wanna go his way! I don't wanna go his way! NOO!"

&&&

"Have you gotten the others yet?" asked Ramsley to this pirate he had met but hours before.

"Not yet, but I sent my men to search the grounds. The Turners are nicely well guarded at the docks by two of my men. Funny how an old enemy of mine became a new foe of yours aye?" said Barbossa sitting on the desk in the library and shining an apple on his coat sleeve.

"Utterly hilarious. Tell me…is Jack Sparrow of your acquaintance as well?" asked Ramsley. Barbossa paused raising the apple to his lips then lowered it, squinting at Ramsley and saying,

"Did you say Jack Sparrow?"

&&&

Will looked over at the two pirate ghosts as they played cards nearby as Elizabeth whispered to him,

"Think Barbossa suspects Jack has anything to do with this?"

"I hope not. So long as Barbossa doesn't know Jack's here we have a card to play!" said Will.

"So, what's the plan?" asked Elizabeth. Slowly standing, Will said,

"Follow me!" Meanwhile, Pintell grinned wickedly at Regetti and asked looking up from his hand to his friend,

"Got any threes?" Boredly, and with his chin in his hand, his eyes never leaving his cards, Ragetti replied,

"Go fish!" Pintel fumed and picked a card muttering,

"I swear you're cheating!" Ragetti looked at his friend and asked,

"How can you cheat at 'Go Fish'?" Before he could retort, Will interrupted Pintel by asking,

"Can anyone play?"

"Bugger off!" Pintel told him as Ragetti glared. Then a loud splash was heard behind them and Will's eyes went wide. He rushed to the edge and picked up her jacket shouting,

"Elizabeth!" Pintel and Regetti pushed him back shouting,

"Stay here!" They flew up in the air and dove underwater looking for the young woman. Will stepped away from the edge and scambled inside the warehouse where Elizabeth waited inside and said,

"Come on, Will! Hurry!" He guided her by the small of her back as they both scambled down the stairs.


	8. Chapter 8

**_A/N: Okay guys. This is a fun filled action packed chapter. Mostly follows Jack and company around the graveyard, but pay close attention to the parts with Mr. Gracey and Sara, Ramsley and Barbossaand Will and Elizabeth. Next chapter is the last chapter._**

**_And don't be sad people. For on Halloween night, you'll experience 'Pirates of the Haunted Mansion' Special Halloween Edition!_**

**_Stay tuned._**

**_peace, love, lipgloss and review, _**

**_Mlle. Fox_**

The grounds outside the mansion were quiet and still for but a moment before a large hearst pulled by a skeletal horse and a ghostly couchman glowing with a bright blue mist in the moonlit Louisana night. As the stone rubble went flying and the hearst crashed down and continued racing down the road, Jim screamed from where he, his kids and Jack and Stacey were being tossed around in the back,

"Hey! I thought you said you could drive this thing!"

"Don't you worry! I know exactly what I'm doing!" Ezra said turning his head towards them. But when he faced front again, he caught the low branch that was aimed right for his and Emma's heads.

"AHH!" they shouted at their heads dissolved and then remanifested.

"Well, you just better keep your eyes on the road, Savvy! "yelled Jack.

"Move over!" ordered Emma trying to take the reins.

"What are you doing?" asked Ezra.

"I'm driving! If you keep driving you'll kill us all!" exclaimed Emma.

"Well, that's where you're wrong! Some of us are already dead! HA!" laughed Ezra. Hearing their conversation, Stacey yelled up to them,

"Well, some of us ain't and I aim to keep it that way!" Then she turned her attention back inside as she saw Megan point out the window and exclaim,

"Dad look!" They all turned their heads to follow the three passing bicylists in victorian clothing and glowing a happy blue. They peddled up into the air as the road took the sharp dip into the vast cemetery that they could now see filled to the brim with bright glowing specters of all shapes and sizes wearing all sorts of costumes from every era. Ghosts were in the trees, on their respected headstones and laughing and chatting as if someone had forgotten to explain they were dead.

"Dad?" asked Michael.

"Yes son?" asked Jim.

"Don't say it!" warned Stacey. Michael ignored her and said,

"I see dead people!" Stacey sighed up at a confused Jack,

"He said it!"

"Excuse me! Why are all these ghost still hanging around here?" Jim asked Ezra. Emma answered with a sad tone,

"When they died they couldn't find the light. and now...now they're trapped!"

"Doomed to wander the Earth for all eternity!" added Ezra.

"How melodramtic!" observed Jack. Stacey sighed looking dryly out the window,

"What am I doin' here? If things went righ' in my life my parents would be alive, I woulda' graduated college and made a nice little life for myself. Nevv-eer had'a worry about ghosts or getting pirates back to their righ' time!" Jack grinned down at her,

"But then you would have met me Luv!" Stacey shrugged not seeing Jack's smug expression turn serious with longing. They passed an executioner who was just getting ready to chop a knight's head off. They both smiled and waved a friendly wave. The living waved back and Jim smiled,

"Nice! Nice. Good job!" Looking up at Jack who looked like he was about to be sick, Megan asked,

"What's wrong with you?" Jack said to her,

"When you've come as close to having your head chopped off or dangling from a rope as I have, you tend to frown upon executions!" Jim scoffed and asked,

"Oh yeah? And what did you do to almost get executed?" Jack sighed and looked up to the ceiling of the hearst in thought before saying,

" Arson, kidnapping, sacking, raiding, looting, pillaging, plundering, grand thief, sailing under false colors, commandeered a ship of the fleet, impersonating an officer of the Spanish Royal Navy, impersonating an officer of the British Royal Navy, impersonating a cleric of the Church of England...you know...the usual general lawlessness." Stacey and the kids all dropped their jaws in disbelief as Jim said dumbfounded,

"Oh...yeah...yeah I guess that would do it!"

"Sweet Jesus help me, I'm sharing a hearst with a man who should be on 'America's Most Wanted'!" quipped Stacey. Jack grinned wickedly at her and whispered,

"Didn't stop you from sharing my bed the other night darlin'!" She flamed up red for a moment before smirkig and retorting,

"Well if sharing a bed with you Jack Sparrow means I get a good night's sleep...I don't see any harm in it!" Jack's face fell as the hearst pulled to a bumpy stop. Jim was about to lead everyone out, but when he turned he jumped in surprise at two ghosts in traveling clothes right in the hearst with them.

"Whoa! Hey! Hey, what are you doing here?" Jim demanded. The tall fat on whispered to his friend,

"Can they see us?" His short friend with a long beard told him,

"No, of course not!"

"Of course I can! I see you right now in your stupid hat!" Jim told them as the fat ghost looked cros eyed at the hat onhis head.

"Don't listen to him! He's lying!" said the short ghost. Jim looked to Jack who shrugged before sighing and starting to climb out saying,

"Whatever! Come on kids let's go! Come on!"

"I could swear he was looking right at me!" said the fat ghost.

"He's physic!" exclaimed the short ghost. Jack was the last one to leave when he stopped to say to the fat ghost,

"I don't think your hat's stupid, Mate!" The ghosts looked at each other very confused.

&&&

Barbossa returned to the docks to find his men waiting. But the Turners and the two crewman he left them with were gone.

"Where are they?" barked Barbossa. A tall black man with native African priecings answered,

"They were gone by the time we got here!" Just then, Pintel and Ragetti floated up from the water and landed on the docks. When he saw the captain and the rest of the crew glaring at them, Ragetti answered,

"What we miss?" Barbossa stomped forward and grabbed Pintel by his shirt collar and demanded angrily,

"Where are they?"

&&&

"This was to have been her wedding dress." said Edward as he escorted Sara through the dusty old attic. Sara looked at the gown and breathed,

"It's lovely!"

"It would have been lovelier still if she ever had the chance to wear it!" said Edward dryly brushing a hand over the light netting that kept the dust away. He continued, "Now it only serves as a dark reminder of what could have been."

"To love someone so much and then lose them so suddenly. I can't imagine how awful that must be!" said Sara shaking her head. Edward caught her gaze again,

"If you truly love someone they never leave you. They remain in your heart forever!" Sara tried to avoid his intensive stare by looking up and around the attic but suddenly, lightning flashed sending the room into brightness. Up in the bell tower, Sara could have sworn she saw the faded image of someone hanging from his neck from a noose. When everything faded into darkness again, she saw nothing was there and somehow, she had ended up clinging to Mr. Gracey's arm. He held a protective arm around her waist as he cleared his throat and said,

"Come. There's one last thing I must show you."

&&&

Will led Elizabeth into the darken hallway of the gallery sighing in exasperation and saying,

"I can't believe we've just went around in a circle again! How the devil did anyone find their way in this house?" Elizabeth continued to let him rant and rave, trying not to concentrate on the images of death she was seeing appear in the painting on the wall. Then she got a strange sensation to check the mirror in her coat pocket. When she pulled it out, she saw it was glowing a bright green again. Looking into it, Elizabeth saw an image of Sara looking around in fear at Mr. Gracey and a group of dancing ghosts spinning around them. Then she saw Sara in a white gown collapsing to the floor with a deathly pallor on her face. Elizabeth gasped,

"Will! We've got to find Sara now!" Will stopped and asked her seeing the glowing mirror,

"What'd you see?"

"No time to explain, hurry!" she said rushing forward. He pulled on her arm to stop her,

"Wait! We're lost! How are we going to find her?" Unsure for a moment, Elizabeth looked down to the glowing mirror in her hands and said to it,

"Show me the way out of here!" The mirror wavered and showed them the gallery then it whizzed down the hall to a door.

"Come on!" said Elizabeth leading the way.

&&&

"Isn't that romantic? He was willing to throw everything away for love!" sighed Megan talking about Mr. Gracey as they walked further into the cemetary. This area was a little less populated with ghosts but that still didn't stop any of the adults from keeping a wary eye. Jim said sarcastically,

"Well now he's broke, dead and cursed. Nice move!"

"I agree. My guess is that Miss Elizabeth killed herself because she was afraid of what people might think and the pressure got to her. If Gracey's half the gentleman he claims to be, he should have sensed it before she even contemplated hurting herself. You know he probably did detect something was wrong? Poor fool probably tried to convince himself it would work out for the best!" said Jack as Jim started to help the kids over a large fallen log blocking the path. Jack climbed over and then turned to help Stacey as she asked,

"And what should Mr. Gracey have done instead if he realized the pressure of being from two different worlds was too much for her?" He helped her down grabbing her waist. When he didn't let go right away, Stacey was caught in his dark brown eyes as he said with just a hint of sadness,

"He should have let her go without a fuss. And only pray that while she found her happiness...she'd remember him from time to time." As he let her go to continue on, Stacey got the distinct impression that he wasn't just talking about Mr. Gracey and his love. She was shaken from her thoughts by hearing Jim complain after a rather loud squish was heard,

"Oh crap! These are my new shoes! Hey kids watch your step!"

"Oh crap!" said Michael after another squich was heard.

"Hey Michael! Don't say crap!" reprimaned his father. Stacey shook her head and smiled as Jack told Michael,

"If you were a pirate...you could say whatever you'd like...Savvy?" As Michael grinned enthusiastically, Jim stopped and asked Jack,

"Hey what are you telling my son?"

"Not a bloomin' thing Mate!" said Jack with a wink to the children. Jim rolled his eyes as he looked around the clearing and asked,

"Alright, where is this place, where are we?" Michael answered,

"I think the gypsy said something about making a left at an oak."

"Ok, glad she was so specific!" said Jim sarcastically.

"Maybe it was a left at a black crypt and a right at an oak!" offered Stacey. Jim caught something on the wind and listened. He asked his compainions,

"What is that? Do you hear that?"

"Yeah." said Megan quietly as Jim lead the way around a corner. They saw with surprise four stone busts, obviously inhabited by a barbershop quartet as they sung,

"And harmonize! When we ghosts come out to socialize! (Doom, doom, doom...sang three as the bass sang)

"When the cryptos creak and the tombstones quake,"

"Spooks come out for a swinging wake!" they all sang together. Jim stepped forward an interrupted them saying,

"Guys! Sorry to bother you, but we were wondering if you would happen to know where the mausoleum was?" To the groups confusion, they sang,

"Down by the old... mill...steam...(Old Mill Steam!) Where I first... met... you..." Jim interrupted again,

"No, I think they said it was an old oak. That's what they said its by, um..." But before the others could warn him, their faces fell when the singing busts sang,

"By the light...(By the light, by the light!) of the silvery moon...(Of the silvery moon!)"

"Guys look you sound really good, your harmonies tight, but we have to save my wife she's..." said Jim.

"She'll be...coming round the mountain when she comes...(When she comes!) She'll be coming round the mountain when she comes..." Jim sighed in defeat as Jack patted his shoulder as said,

"Let me try!" Jim waved towards the haunted busts and said,

"They're all yours!" Jack put his hands together as if in prayer before stepping forward and adressing the singing busts,

"Gentlemen! Althought we appreciate your vocal and musical capibilites, I regret we have no time to dawdel for we are in the middle of a grand expedition to locate and retrieve an item that may lead to the destruction of the very curse that binds you to this purgatory!" The singing busts looked at each other in silence for a moment trying to understand what Jack said. Jim muttered to Stacey,

"What...in the world...did he just say?" Rubbing Murray's ears, Stacey sighed,

"How am I suppose to know? I just met the man four days ago!" Satisfied he had their attention, Jack asked,

"So Gents! If you will be so benevolent to instuct us on the whereabouts of a certain key..." The busts burst into singing,

"Where's...the key, where's the key where's the beautiful key? You and me you and me, Oh how happy we'll be!" Sensing he was losing his audience, Jack said plainly lifting a finger in exclaimation,

"The key I'm trying to find is in the mausoleum!"

"You left your key...in the mausoleum...down in Dixie!" Jack lowered his finger in defeat as Stacey patted him on the arm. Megan looked to her left and exclaimed,

"Dad there it is!"

"Dad there it is! (Dad...there it...is...is...is!)"

"Thanks...for nothing!" said Jim walking off with Jack and Stacey following. It was a large massive stone crypt with 'Gracey' on written high above two shoruded angels of death holding lit torches.

"Ok we made it! Alright kids stay close!" Jim told them. Seeing the craving on the door, Megan looked behind to her father and said,

"Hey look! It's a warning!" Not reconizing the written script, Jim furrowed his brow as they stepped up to the door,

"Now how'd you know that?"

"I studied Latin for three years Dad. You said it was dumb remember? You said it was a dead language." Megan told him dryly. Jim gestured all around him and said,

"Oh we see how wrong I was about that!" Megan ignored her father and read the inspription outloud,

"Beware all who enter. Here...here..." Seeing she was struggling with the words, Jack finished,

"Here lies the passage to the dead!" Stacey gawked at him.

"Now how did you know that?" she asked. Jack smiled,

"I studied Latin for seven years." Seeing the stunned looks on their faces, Jack added, "What? I wasn't always a pirate, Savvy?" Then Jim noticed his son turning and walking away,

"Hey! Hey. Hey, hey where you going?" he said catching his arm and crotching down.

"I don't like Latin!" said Michael turning again.

"Hey wait Michael! We've been through this before. You're ten years old now you got to start acting like a man!" Jim urged him.

"I just turned ten! I'm still getting used to it!" Michael said. Jack took his pistol out and checked to see if it was loaded as he said,

"Ok here's what we do. Jim and I will search the tomb."

" Right. Megan, stay here with your brother." Jim told his daughter standing up.

"What?" asked Megan in disbelief.

" I'm not gonna leave him out here by himself. You guys stay here together. I'm going ahead and I'll take care of this with Jack. Ok? Alright." he said beginning to make for the door.

"I'll stay up here with the kids...make sure they're safe." said Stacey. Jack smiled,

"I wasn't going to have it any other way Luv!" Stacey smiled at the warm look Jack gave her and his gesture of kissing the back of her hand. He turned to help Jim pull open the door. The latch was nearly rusted over and it creaked with a groan as Jack and Jim pulled it open. A wave of fowl air blew up from the dark set of steps. Jim took a torch and exclaimed,

"Ok...Be right back!"

"Twenty minutes tops right?" Megan asked.

"Twenty minutes tops." Jim nodded. Jim started down the steps and Jack was about to follow when he paused and said,

"Stacey...?"

"Yes Jack?" asked Stacey in anticipation. Looking to the kids, Jack sighed and said,

"If...I don't survive this little adventure...tell Will the Black Pearl is his."

"Jack...you'd give Will your most prized pocession?" asked Stacey in shock.

"Only 'cause I can't give her to the person I care about more than anything in the world." said Jack looking directly into her eyes. They were silent a moment before Jack turned and decended the stairs, pistol ready.

"What was that about?" asked Megan. Stacey sighed,

"I wish I was sure!"

&&&

Meanwhile, watching Jim and Jack descend the stairs of the tomb from Leota's crystal ball, Ramsley said to Captain Barbossa,

"If they manage to get out of the family crypt, kill them." Ramsley turned on his heel and left. Following behind, Barbossa protested,

"Now wait a second Mate! My crew and I got cursed twice because we took lives! We ain't gonna make that mistake again!" Stopping in a room with a lit fireplace, Ramsley said,

"If that brainless bunch of worms you call your crew had done their job properly, I wouldn't have to ask you to take their lives. But now they have gone too far! They must be stopped once and for all. Besides...I would imagine you'd be eager to exact your revenge on Captain Sparrow for your untimely death!" Barbossa met this man's cold gaze with one of his own.

"Perhaps...but of all the Pirate's Code, they only rule I followed was this one. 'Don't take an innocent's life.' And there ain't nothing you can do to make me kill a pair of children!" Suddenly, Ramsley's icy orbs roared to life with red fire and the fireplace nearby surged with flames, the stones falling away to reveal a great canyon of red fire and sulfer, screams of torture and pain radiating it and sending a chill into the pirate's heart. Then the bricks returned and closed the hole up and Barbossa looked again to Ramsley who now had only a few flecks of fire in his cold angry eyes.

"Never question my authority again, Captain. Now...do your job...so I can do mine!" he told Barbossa.

&&&

"What was it that gypsy told us to look for?" Jim asked Jack as they entered a great underground tomb. There was wrought iron beams holding up the ceiling and silent, still crypts lining the walls. Jack furrowed his brow in thought saying,

"Look for a crypt with...look for a crypt with..."

"Look for the black crypt with no name!" Both men gasped and Jack pointed his gun towards the voice behind them. It was only Megan.

"Ahh! what's the matter with you? Man, put down that gun! That's my daughter!" Jim said pulling Jack's hand down. Jim continued to Megan,

"You can't be hopping out like that! You gave me a heart attack! I thought I told you to stay with Michael!"

"I was worried you wouldn't find it. Besides, Michael's fine! He's with Stacey!" said Megan coming down the last few steps to them. Jack smiled and then shouted up the stairs,

"Well I'm glad Miss Stacey is keeping such a sharp on on ye!"

"Nobody up here but us chickens!" called down a southern drawl. Then a small voice that had yet to go through puberty added,

"Bra-awk!" Jack looked dryly to Jim who only shook his head slightly amused.

Meanwhile, Stacey and Michael were sitting on the steps of the tomb waiting nervously and glancing back to the dark set of stairs behind them.

"Think they're going to be okay?" asked Michael.

"Sure! They're gonna be just fine Sugar!" said Stacey.

"So how'd you guys know the mirror was here?" asked Michael.

"Apparently the other half of the mirror showed them New Orleans and then a gypsy told us to go to Gracey Manor...wait a minute!" said Stacey dryly putting the pieces together.

"Are you scared?" asked Michael.

"Honey, I'm as scared as a convicted white collar criminal who's dropped his soap in the shower!"

"Huh?" asked Michael not getting it.

"Yeah Kid. I'm scared!" she told him plainly. Michael nodded but then stopped when they heard a low growl.

"Michael. Tell me that was your stomach!" said Stacey.

"No. Was that Murray?" asked Michael.

"No and it wasn't his stomach either!" said Stacey putting Murray down and standing up. She and Michael went down the steps and looked into the dark Louisana night. Stacey gasped when she looked through the trees and saw a pair of dark glowing blue eyes. She pulled Michael behind her as a large pit bull, at least as big as a horse stepped out of the woods. Only he was glowing a bright misty blue and he was semi-transparent. A broken dog chain hang dangling from his collar. It continued to growl at them as Michael exclaimed,

"It's a ghost dog!"

"Yeah and right now it's thinkin' breakfast, lunch and appitizers!" said Stacey backing away. Even Murray tucked his little tale in between his legs and whimpered.

"What do we do?" asked Michael.

"Get inside the tomb. Shut the door. I'm gonna make it chase me!" said Stacey hardly beliving what she was saying,

"But Stacey!" protested Michael.

"Go!" she said pushing him back. The ghost dog growled at the boy who stood frozen on the steps, when Stacey blocked his vision.

"Hey fella! Hey! Why eat him huh? I got a..." she slapped her hip, "whole lot of meat on me! You want some? Well, come on!" Stacey threw a rock at the creatures nose. Even though it went straight through him, the ghost dog was angered and immediatly began to chased after Stacey. Emboldened by his mistress, Murray growled and began to chase after the ghost dog barking his little head off.

Back underground, Megan said,

"She said find the black crypt with no name, or soon your fate will be the same!" They looked around the room, before spotting a moonlit black coffin in the center of the room on the other side of a wrought iron bridge.

"That must be it!" said Jim.

"Good hunch Dad!" said Megan dryly.

"Then let us proceed, shall we?" said Jack.

"I'm officially starting to get sick of this place!" said Jim as they crept forward across the bridge.

"And we're here because of who?" asked Megan.

"We're here because I take my role as breadwinner seriously! I want you kids to have everything I didn't have!" said Jim.

"I didn't know you had a bad childhood." said Megan.

"I didn't have a bad childhood!" said Jim as Jack furrowed his brow.

"Then why do we have to have everything you didn't have?" asked Megan as they stopped before the crypt.

"Because...hey don't be tricking me you little Latin speaking thirteen year old! Let's just get this over with! Hold this! Hold this with two hands now." Jim told her handing her the torch.

"Ready?" asked Jack putting his pistol in his belt.

"Ready!" said Jim as he and Jack place his hands on the top and pushed off the heavu lid. It fell to the floor and a maggot eaten corpse laid before them, a wave a death stench wafting up their noses.

"Ahh! Phew! Oh man!" said Jim turning up his nose. Jack smiled and coughed a bit,

"Try hanging out with a crew who doesn't know what soap is Mate. The smell ain't very different!" Jim nodded at this in consideration before turning his attention back to the dead body. In his right hand folded over his chest, was a small key, in his left hand, a silver mirror. Jim reached in saying with disgust,

"Excuse me one second! Sorry to bother you! Ah, eww!" he pulled out the key and then the mirror handing it to Jack. He asked ready to hurl from the smell, "Is that it?" Jack examined the mirror and then smiled seeing half of the inscription.

"Aye Mate! It is!" he said in triumph. Turning Jim lead them back over the bridge saying,

"Ok, alright! That wasn't hard was it? Let's get out of here! That gypsy had me thinking it was gonna be hard, that was easy!" Jack frowned,

"Yeah, a bit too easy!" Suddenly they all stopped when they heard a low growl behind them They slowly turned seeing the once inanimate corspe sitting up and turning it's head to growl at them. They all jumped back in fear.

"OH! Oh no!" said Jim accidentaly dropped the key through the slots of the bridge and into the water below. Jack groaned,

"Leave it out!" Jim pushed his daughter to the other side,

"Go get the key! We'll take care of him!" Megan ran around the bridge and into the flooded water.

"Got any ideas?" asked Jack as the creature climbed out. Jim said as it crept closer,

"Hey, man! Go back to bed! Get back to bed!" Jack looked at him saying,

"You've got to be kidding me! I'll get behind him, you distract him!"

"What? Oh! Hi! I'm Jim Evers of Evers and Evers Real Estate! What's your name?" rambled off Jim as Jack slowly crept around the undead. Jim continued, "I just came down here to get the key! The gypsy told me it was alright to get the key so...oh!" said Jim ducking from the zombie trying to grab him. Jack picked up the dropped torch and hefted it in his hand.

"Just lighten up and let me tell you something! I'm trying to get the key! I got to get my wife...I don't want no trouble! Seriously, back up! You're asking for it!" Jim continued as Jack swung the torch around and knocked the creature's head off. Jim pushed the rest of his body over the bridge and into the water.

"Ha!" shouted Jack.

"Next time you're gonna think twice before coming back from the dead ain't you?" Jim told the monster. Jack crotched down asking the girl,

"Did you find the key?" Pushing the thick murky water aside, Megan cried,

"I'm looking! I'm looking!" As Jack stood, Jim told her,

"Take your time, relax. We've got everything under control! Completely under control!" Then more growling was heard and low rumble. Jack and Jim looked up and saw corspe after corspe crawl out of crypts or burst through walls hissing and growling and coming straight towards them. Jim shouted,

"Megan you better look faster!" Megan shook her head in disgust and said to herself,

"Oh I don't want to do this!" Then she dived under the questionable water as more and more of the undead came out and slowly hobbled over as if their joints were locked up.

"Jeez!" exclaimed Jim. Jack took his pistol out of his belt and shot at one, but the bullet tore straight through its body and three others. Jack's face fell as he said,

"What I wouldn't give for some Aztec gold right now!" He and Jim began to duck and dodge the zombie army, kicking at their arms and legs, aiming mostly for their heads. Under the water, Megan swam down to where the key lay on a rock. Just as she grabbed it, a zombie head came up and growled. She continued to scream as two more zombies underwater began to grab her arms. Jack saw her perdicament and threw off his coat making a perfect swan dive into the slimy depths. He swam down and punched one zombie across the jaw, kicking the other one away with his foot. He grabbed Megan aroung the waist and hoisted her to the surface. As they both took a deep breath of air, Jim crotched down having managed to block the zombies advances for the moment,

"Give me your hand! Ok, come on come on come on!" They jumped out the water, following Jim up the stairs with the zombies following behind. They saw the entreway and Michael yelling,

"Come on guys, hurry up! Hurry up! Hold on!" But then the door slammed shut on them. Jim and Michael began to pound on the door with Jack shooting at the zombies as a last attempt to defend themselves.

"Michael! Michael! Open the door!" demanded Jim.

"Michael it's locked from the outside! Michael open the door! Michael open the door!" begged his sister. But Michael backed away from the door in fear as dozen of large black tarantulas crawled out of everywhere to cover the door.

"Dad, there's spiders everywhere and I don't have a magazine!" cried Michael.

"Michael are you scared?" asked Jim from inside.

"Uh huh!" nodded Michael.

"Michael look it's okay to be scared! Everyone gets scared sometimes! Daddy's scared right now!" Jim told him.

"You are?"

"Yes I'm very scared right now! Please open the door son!" Spending his last bullet, Jack just threw the pistol at the advancing hoard, satisfied the creatures sumbled back. He shouted out to the boy,

"Michael, get Stacey to open the door!" From his viewpoint, Michael watched Stacey run from the left side of the clearing to the right, chased by a ghost dog and a yiping Murray.

"AAAAHHHHHGGGGGG!" she screamed.

"Stacey's a little busy right now!" In a high pitch voice, Jack said exasperatingly,

"Busy! How can she be ruddy busy!"

"Michael open the door or I'll kill you!" threatened Megan.

"Oh that's great! Keep him calm!" Jim whispered to her. He said to Michael as Jack kicked the zombies back again and then rushed up the stairs, "Hey Michael, it okay to get scared! Everyone gets scared now and then son! Even Jack's scared! And's he's a pirate! See? You just can't let fear stop you!"

"Michael if you're scared now, just wait until the zombies come out!" yelled Megan. As Jim glared at her, Jack grunted to her,

"Shut it Missy!"

"What zombies?" asked Michael from his side of the door.

"Michael! Hey Michael just open the door please man! We don't got a lot of time, just open the door!" pleaded Michael.

"Dad they're coming!" yelled Megan.

"Michael open the door right now!" yelled Jack.

"Open the door! Open the door!" yelled Jim as Michael took a deep breath and reached for the handle. As it opened, the spiders crawled all over his arms and Jim screamed as he and the others came out,

"Oh! AAHHH!"

"Lock it! Lock it! Come on alright!" said Jack as Megan helped him bolt the door on a zombies outstretched arm. Certain it would hold, Jack turned and saw Jim carrying his frozen and frightened son down the steps and began brushing them off.

"Get them off! Get them off!" yelled Michael. When the last one was gone and no bite marks were found, Jim hugged his son and said,

"Ok you alright? Ok, alright my brave little man! Alright!" Jack put a hand on Michael's shoulder and asked,

"You okay, Kid?"

"Yeah." nodded Michael.

"Where's Stacey?" asked Jack. Just then, Stacey ran back pass them with the ghost dog on her heels and Murray following behing.

"AAAAHHHHHGGGGGG!"

"Stacey!" whispered Jack in fear for her. He began to bolt after them. Stacey jumped up and grabbed a branch meaning to pull herself up into the tree, but the branch broke off in her hand.

"Oh!" They she got an idea. She turned to the ghost dog and said still running, "See the stick? See the stick boy? Wanna play fetch?" To her surprise, the ghost dog stopped and panted his tail happily. She backed up, seeing the sudden drop off over her shoulder. "Yeah...you want to play fetch dont'ca? Come on! Come on! Fetch!" She threw the stick over the drop off, but the dog leaped threatening to knock her over on impact.

"STACEY!" yelled Jack tackling her to the ground. The ghost dog flew over their head and with a yipe tumbled down the steep hillside. Jack and Stacey both looked over the edge with Stacey saying,

"I should'a thought of that sooner!" Jack helped her sit up before wrapping his arms tightly around her breathing in relief,

"I thought I almost lost you!" She pulled away to look at his face and say quietly,

"I didn't know I was yours to begin with!" Lost for words and feeling like a caught mouse, Jack sighed and stood up pulling her up with him. All while not saying a word. Ignoring Jack or her fluttering heart, Stacey picked up Murray and asked Jim as she and Jack returned,

"You got the key?" Jim's face fell before he searched his pockets and with relief pulled out the key with a couple kissing in the shape of a heart.

"Whoa! Ok , I got it! I got it!" Michael asked Jack,

"You got the mirror?" Having left his leather coat in the tomb, Jack paniced for a second before remembering he had tucked it in his back pocket.

"Right here! Here Stacey Luv. Keep an eye on it!" said Jack handing it to her. Stacey looked into it and saw an image of the ballroom and the fireplace engulfed with flames. Drawing her attention back to Jim, she heard him say,

"Now can we find a way back please?"

"Gladly mate!" said Jack as they began to walk away.

"Not so fast Jack!"

"I know that voice..." Jack said in a hateful and dark voice. They looked up to see manifest out of nothing, Captain Hector Barbossa.

"Not another ghost!" whined Megan.

"Barbossa!" spat Jack with loathing. Seeing and fearing the look in Jack's eyes now, Jim asked,

"You know him?"

"My mutinious first mate!" explained Jack still glaring at Barbossa.

"I'd rather call it enterprisin' myself!" chuckled Barbossa.

"Well I rather thought I put a stop to your operation when I shot you in your black heart!" said Jack as Stacey kept looking back and forth between the two old advarsaries.

"Aye but you know what they say Jack!" To the fear of the Evers and Stacey, a crew of twenty glowing blue pirate ghosts came out of nowhere and grinned wickedly at him. Barbossa continued, "If you can't beat 'em...join 'em!" The crew cackled at this while Jim pulled his children closer and said,

"Why didn't I just go down to the lake? Why, why, WHY?"

"Gents you all remember Captain Jack Sparrow!...Kill him...and bring me the others!" ordered Barbossa.

"BARBOSSA!" yelled Jack in rage. Stacey pointed over to the right,

"Look! Walt Disney!"

"Huh?" exclaimed all the pirates including Barbossa. Stacey pulled the Evers and a reluctant Jack away and broke out into a run. Barbossa looked back and yelled,

"They've taken off! Move you slack jawed ingrates! Bring me their bleedin' livers!" The pirates began to gave chase while Jack ordered,

"Split up!" Jim and his kids took off in one direction while he and Stacey took another. The pirates broke off into two groups. One group was surprised to find Jim waiting for them with a tree branch pulled back. On impact, the ghost unmanifested and then remanifested with all the wrong body parts. As they sorted this out, Jim ran to meet his kids and they in turn ran to find Emma, Ezra and the waiting hearst.

Meanwhile, Jack and Stacey had just hidden from their group of pursurers and once they were gone, Jack pulled her out and said,

"Come on!" But they stopped short when they saw Barbossa standing in their path.

"Jack...Jack! Do you really think you are a match for me now? I'm dead..." Barbossa threw a sword to Jack's feet and continued, "And you're not...yet!" Jack picked up the sword and told Stacey,

"Find the Evers and get out of here Luv."

"But Jack!" protested Stacey. Barbossa chuckled,

"What's this? The infamous Captain Jack Sparrow finding himself a bonnie lass? S'not possible!" Jack ran his blade along Barbossa's.

"Not probable!" Then he spun around and began a heavy assult on Barbossa who even as a ghost, struggled to keep up. Stacey backed away saying softly,

"If you get yourself killed Jack Sparrow...I'll never forgive you!" Then she stopped short upon seeing Pintel and Ragetti blocking her path and grinning with lust,

"Hello Poppet!" smiled Pintel as Ragetti chuckled. Something snapped inside Stacey and she shook her head putting Murray down,

"No! No! That's it! I have been lead around on wild goose chases, pinned to a flying table, chased by the brass section of a sympothy orchestra, a huge ghost dog, pirates...I have been scared witless, out of my skin and inside out for the last freakin' time!" Pintel and Ragetti looked uneasily at each other as she continued her voice getting hirer as she pulled off her earrings and her boots, "I'm under a lot of stress! A lot of strain! I'm done runnin'! If you want to kill me, go ahead!" She slapped her chest with her palms saying defiantily, "Bring it!"

Jack and Barbossa were still parring off when Barbossa unmanified from Jack's sword swiping at his middle. Remanifested, Barbossa said,

"Ye can't beat me Jack! And there's no cursed Aztec coin to save you now!"

"How about a dead horse, sucker!" Barbossa spun around and cried out as his spirit got trampled by the skeletal horse and hearst driven by Ezra with Jim seating beside him. Barbossa tried to manifest inside the coach, but Emma and the kids were waiting and he promptly whacked him over the head with a frying pan. Somehow, it is possible for a ghost to pass out, and Barbossa did just that on the ground below.

"Where's Stacey?" asked Jim.

"AAAAHHHHHGGGGGG!" yelled Pintel and Ragetti as they flew by them. Stacey came out a few seconds later, waving one of her boots high over her head screaming like a banchee. Murray followed behind barking at their heels.

"Stacey!" cried Jack grabbing her around the waist. Unlike before, she had a slightly mad look to her eye now. A look that strangly turned Jack on.

"I'll get 'em! I'll get 'em!" she shouted struggling to break free. Murray continued with the chase sending the two ghosts pirates whimpering up the tree.

"Get them later, Luv! Come on!" said Jack pulling her to the hearst.

"Come on Murray!" yelled Michael as the little dog happily chased after the pulling away carriage, using Barbossa as a spring board to jump up into the back.

"Good boy!" cooed Megan as she and her brother and Emma smothered Murray with tummy rubs. Barbossa woke just in time to sit up and see Jack jump on the back of the hearst with Stacey by his side. Jack saw Barbossa and gave him a mock salute by placing his fingers to his temple. Barbossa dryly looked up at his blubbering crew. Pintel said to his Captain,

"She's scary as hell, Cap'n!" Barbossa rolled his eyes and looked after the carriage saying,

"Still a hard man to predict Jack Sparrow. Still a hard man to predict."


	9. Chapter 9

* * *

**_A/N: Well Loyal Readers. This is the last chapter. I'll save the bloopers for the Special Halloween Edition, so stay tuned. I know it seems like a long way off, but hey, that's what the 'Author Alert' feature and my profile page is for. I must admit I sort of tried to procrastinate in writing the final chapter, because I didn't want it to end like you guys! But, I keep telling myself I will write the Special Edition and the Haunted Mansion series I've got going on the Disney page. No Jack or Evers family but still a fun read!_**

**_In the meantime, thisexciting conclusionis dedicated to all you fans listed below who reviewed._**

**_peace, love and lipgloss, _**

**_Mlle. Fox

* * *

_**

**_Solitarebbw218_**

**_The Future Mrs. Jack Sparrow_**

**_Madame Opera Ghost_**

**_TriGemini_**

**_blackmagic_**

**_Lady Fae_**

**_willliz_**

**_Sin_**

**_p.s. I'm challanging you guys to watch Haunted Mansion if you haven't before. That way you can tell me how my story did as compared to the movie. Thanks._**

Will followed reluctantly as Elizabeth led the way being guided by the mirror. They had come to a second gallery where there hung dozens of portraits from various times.

"Are we any closer?" he asked.

"Almost!" Elizabeth said. Just then a ghost of a woman in an expensive ball gown floated out of one wall and into another behind them. Will looked but saw nothing continuing on, saying,

"I wonder if Jack's faring any better than we are?

&&&

Jim held out the key to Madame Leota and said,

"There it is ok? Alright we went to hell and back to get this thing now all I want to know it where's the door out of here!" But all of there faces dropped when she said,

"First, you must find the trunk."

"Trunk?" asked Jack.

"Yes, trunk." she said.

"Not door?" asked Jim.

"No, not door. Trunk!" said Leota.

"All you said I had to do was find this key! I got the key! Now you're telling me this story about a trunk! The key is the answer to all, remember?" cried Jim. Leota replied,

"Look I don't make the rules ok? I just work here." Stacey spat advancing on the crystal ball,

"Now wait just a cotton pickin' minute you glass managerie!" Jack grabbed her around the waist again, struggling to hold her back. He seemed to be doing this a lot lately. He just wished it could be under more enjoyable circumstances. Jim put the key in his pocket and picked up Leota's ball saying,

"Ok that's it! That's the last straw! I've had enough of this nonsense!"

"Hey! What are you doing? Put me down! This is bad luck, this is very bad luck!" protested Leota as Jim started out the hallway. The kids followed as Jim told her,

"I'll show you bad luck, I'm tired of playing around!"

"I'm getting nauseous!" yelled Leota as Jack, Stacey and Ezra walked out.

"You'll get over it!" said Jim as Emma confusingly shut the door to the seance room. They traveled up the stairs again, after forcing Leota to show them the way. Inside the attic again, Leota told Jim,

"Please don't drop me, I'm fragile, I'm very fragile!"

"Don't talk to me about being fragile! I'm the one that's feeling fragile right now!" said Jim. Stacey looked around and spotted a trunk in the corner.

"Is that it?" she asked.

"That's it." said Leota plainly.

"Hmm. Alright, now we're in business!" said Jack as they stepped closer to the trunk. Jim turned to Ezra and handed him Leota,

"Hey, hold her for a second!" As Jim kneeled before the trunk pulling out the key, Stacey asked Jack,

"I thought this business of the key was their own?" Jack replied,

"That was before stinkin' bloody Barbossa came into the picture. Now I'm going to make sure this curse is lifted just to get his sorry tail back where it belongs!"

"Gee. Vengeful much?" asked Stacey sarcastically as she turned her attention to Jim lifting the trunk. There was nothing but some books paper and trinkets in there.

"Hey how do I know what to look for, this thing is full of junk!"

"Find the thing that must be read, least your heart be full of dread!" said Leota in verse.

"There's nothing in here that's red." muttered Jim shifting things about misunderstanding Leota. Jack slapped his forehead muttering,

"I'm surrounded by ruddy amatures!" Jim spotted a red envelope with a broken gold wax seal. He picked it up saying,

"Hey wait a minute, there's a letter here. It's a letter."

"Funny how the red envelope is also a 'thing that must be read'!" Jack said as Jim stopped short finally understanding. He didn't respond to Jack but simply opened the envelope and read aloud,

"Yes, my dear heart I will marry you. I will love you for all eternity and tonight at last we will be together. Forever yours...Elizabeth." Emma gasped,

"She didn't kill herself!"

"She wanted to be with him!" said Ezra.

"But somebody didn't want her to be with him!" said Jack.

Yeah and somebody gave him the wrong letter!" said Jim. Suddenly they heard behind them,

"Yes, well done Mr. Evers. I must say I'm impressed. You are more persistent than I would have ever imagined." They all turned to see Ramsley looking at them. Jack pulled Stacey and the kids behind them suddenly putting the pieces together. Jim figured it out as well and exclaimed,

"The butler did it? You've got to be kidding me!" Ramsley glared at Emma and Ezra and said making them dissappear in a blue mist.

"I will deal with you two later!"

"Why's you kill her?" asked Jim standing up.

"She did not belong in Mr. Gracey's class!" said Ramsley.

"And why not?" asked Jim.

"Jim..." said Jack catching his attention. Jim looked to Jack who was suggesttively brushing his fingers aganist his skin. Jim started,

"Oh come on! You're telling me this is a hate crime? So you just killed her because she was black?"

And because the master would not listen to reason. He had everything in the world yet he was willing to throw it all away. For love! I did tell him it would end badly!" said Ramsley as Stacey saw the mirror glowing again. She and the kids looked into it seeing Ramsley in fancy dress pouring two glasses of wine and poisoning one. They saw him give Elizabeth the poison wine and watched her drink only to collaspe on the settee seconds later. They saw Ramsley duck into the secret passage in the library as Jim told Ramsley in the present,

"You're a real cold dude!"

"No Mr. Evers. I'm a rational man. It was my responsibility to the house, my duty sir, to see to it that the boy did not make a foolish error in judgment. And running away with that girl would have destroyed this house. It would have destroyed everything! And I could not stand by to let it all fall to ruin." Ramsley said. Megan told her father with hate towards Ramsley,

"Punch his face in Dad!"

"Yeah, but first I'm going to tell his master what really happened!" said Jim.

"The master must never know. Edward and his love will be reunited and this curse will be broken!" said Ramsley.

"That's not her, that's my wife!" said Jim.

"And what she sees in you I'll never know! But that is of little importance now. The only thing that matters is the master's pain must end. The curse will be broken and we can all finally move on!" said Ramsley.

"Alright that's it man! Where's my wife?"

"Why...getting ready for her wedding of course!" said Ramsley condencendingly.

"What wedding?" asked Jack.

"He can't marry her, he's dead and she's not!" said Stacey.

"True. But that can be easily corrected! Life I'm afraid, is such a delicate state!" implied Ramsley.

"Hey, if you put one finger on my wife, I swear I'll kill you!" said Jim going to tackle Ramsley. But he only fell threw Ramsley's blue mist as Ramsley lightly chuckled,

"How wonderful! You're going to kill a ghost!" Jack bolted forward and tried to catch Ramsley unware, but he only fell through as well. Much to Stacey's protest, Michael and Megan rushed forward after Jim tried to punch Ramsley and yelled,

"Leave him alone!"

"Stop it!" Ramsley raised a hand and beckoned the open trunk forward with one motion of his fingers. The kids fell back into the truck as it closed and locked tight.

"AHH!" they cried.

"Megan! Michael!" cried Stacey.

"Let them go!" said Jack as he and Jim both tried to jump Ramsley. They only fell on the ground and against the trunk with Michael and Megan pounding against it and screaming. Jim ordered Ramsley,

"You are going to let my kids outta there! You're going to take me to my wife and you're going to let us out of here right now!"

"And ye best release the Turners and Mrs. Evers as well, Savvy?" added Jack.

"You want out? Fine! Let me show you...out!" said Ramsley coldly as he bent down and each grabbed Jack and Jim by the throat. They gasped in pain and surprise as Ramsley began to glow a bright blue and float them up in the bell tower. He said with extreme hate,

Now, for the last time Gentlemen! Goodnight!" And with that he threw Jack and Jim through the shuttered windows.

"AAHHH!" yelled Jim as they plummeted down.

"WWHHHOOOOAAAAA!" yelled Jack before they slammed into the roof of the conservatory and then rolled off the roof to land hard and painfully on top of Jim's car. They both groaned in pain as the car alarm began to scream.

Back in the attic, Stacey tried to use this opportunity to try and pull the kids, trunk and all out of the attic. But she gasped when Ramsley manifested in front of her and asked,

"Miss. St. Claire. Where are you going?" Stacey tried to turn the other way, but no sooner than she did, Ramsley remanifested in front of her and grabbed her by the wrists. Stacey struggled,

"Get off of me! Let me go! Jack! Jack!"

"Now Miss St. Claire! I'm not going to hurt you!" said Ramsley with false kindness. Stacey stopped, suddenly more scared than before,

"You're not?"

"No! After all...you have to get ready for the wedding!" said Ramsley.

"Say what?" asked Stacey.

"Well it's only fair to have a witness...from amoung the bride's side!" said Ramsley.

"The bride's side?" she squeaked.

"The living, of course!" said Ramsley as he, Stacey and the trunk began to dissappear.

"JJAAACCCCKKKKK!" yelled Stacey.

&&&

Edward Gracey smiled back at Sara as he guided her once again into the grand ballroom, the dining table now gone and the fire long since spent. The moonlight shined through as Edward put his hands on his hips and looked up into the rafters,

"This house has waited so long to have it's shroud of darkness lifted. And tonight, for the first time in...oh so many years. I believe it may be possible that the story will finally end differently!" He turned to her and continued, "Sara? Do you believe that love is about second chances? About forgiveness?" Sara smiled thinking of Jim. She certainly had to give that man second chances. Meanwhile, Will and Elizabeth poked their heads through a door on the balcony of ballroom and quietly crept to the edge looking on the scene.

"Yes I do." answered Sara. Edward leaned towards her,

"Don't you remember?" Sara furrowed her brow,

"Remember? Mr. Gracey, are you alright?" Edward said despertly,

"Don't you recognize me at all?"

"Mr. Gracey?" asked Sara getting worried. Edward paced before her,

"I thought certainly, bringing you back to Gracey Manor would help you...remember!" Sara reached out for his arm,

"Remember what? Mr. Gracey you're scaring me!" Edward turned to her and grabbed her hands in his Suddenly, to Sara and the Turners surprise, the room instantly filled with bright blue waltzing specters in fancy dress. Sara looked around confused as Edward told her,

"Where it happened! Where we spent our last moments together! Where we danced together for the last time before you...before you killed yourself! But now you have returned to me and at long last we can be together! Why do you not remember? You were my world, my life! And I have loved you in death as I did in life!"

"Let me go!" Suddenly, Will was there and he took Sara from Gracey saying,

"Mind if I cut in?" He pulled Sara along to the door where Elizabeth was holding it open. Edward yelled after them,

"Why do you not remember?" They ran into the foyer but there was Gracey waiting by the stairs. They ran past him as he yelled,

"You are her, you are Elizabeth! You must be! Can you not sense it?"

"Move, move!" yelled Will. They ran up some more, but there was Mr. Gracey again at the second landing.

"Search your heart, I am your one true love and now we can finally be together, don't you understand!" he yelled banging on the railing as they reached the second floor.

"Will come on!" cried Elizabeth Turner leading the way.

"_Elizabeth, you must listen to me!"_ said Gracey's voice out of nowhere.

"I'm not Elizabeth!" yelled Sara as she and the Turners headed towards the bedrooms. Gracey manifested in a wisp of blue mist and said,

"Please I implore you!"

"Leave me alone get away from me!" yelled Sara as they all ducked into a room and slammed the door. Gracey grasped some cravings on the door and hung his head in defeat. He sensed a presence and said to it,

"She doesn't remember!" he turned from the door to Ramsley, "It can't be her!"

"It is her sir. The gypsy woman prophesied her return! And now the time has come. You best get ready." said Ramsley as he adjusted Edward's collar. Edward snapped,

"But she doesn't remember!"

"In time she will sir. I assure you...she will!" Ramsley told him assuringly patting his young master on the shoulder to send him to his room.

&&&

"STACEY!" yelled Jack to the house as he tried his shoulder aganist the front door.

"Open up! Hey! Let me in!" yelled Jim pounding on the windows. He searched the ground for something to throw or smash the window. He saw some decoratiive iron work under the window and pulled it out. He swung the long piece around and yelled as he tried over and over again to smash the window.

"Aah! Aah! Aah! Ahh!" he stopped to talk a breath finding that the cracked glass only repaired itself. Jack saw this too and he looked up to the belltower in dispair. That's when he saw the window shutter slam shut.

"Jim!" he cried as window after window closed it's shutters and a thousand soft clicks were heard. There was no way in and no way out.

&&&

"What's happening?" asked Sara as Elizabeth tried to comfort her. Will pushed the dresser in front of the door making a baricade saying,

"Gracey think's your his true love reencarnated!"

"What? That's crazy!" said Sara.

"Not for a ghost!" shrugged Elizabeth.

"But Gracey talked about Elizabeth. He told he his grandfather..." she trailed off in though. Sensing what she was thnking, Will asked,

"Did he ever say it was his grandfather?"

"No, but I assumed..." said Sara clutching her head.

"Mrs. Evers?" They turned and saw Ramsely standing directly behind them. Will looked to the door confused, as Sara pulled out of Elizabeth's tight grip and cried,

"Oh Ramsley! You've got to help me! Something's horribly wrong! Mr. Gracey he's..."

"I know my dear. I know! He's expecting you. He's always been expecting you! And you haven't even put on your dress yet! We mustn't keep the master waiting!" said Ramsley walking over by the bed and showing her the white gown laying on it. Elizabeth grabbed Will's arm,

"Will!"

"Waiting? Waiting for what?" asked Sara.

"Why, your wedding, of course!" said Ramsley. Sara was shocked,

"My...I'm not Elizabeth!"

"Of course you are my dear! You may not see that now. But in time you will!"

"Not while we're around!" said Will speaking up.

"In that case Mr. Turner..." said Ramsley. Then a trap door opened beneath the Turners feet and they fell through screaming. Sara tried to rush to them, but it closed on her almost catching her fingers.

"Will! Elizabeth! Where are they?" she demanded Ramsley.

"On their way out of the house. They weren't welcome at the wedding!" Ramsley told her.

"You don't think I'm going through with this madness do you!" demanded Sara.

"Oh, yes. I very much do! You see...we wouldn't want anything to happen to the children now would we?" said Ramsely gesturing towards the mirror which swirled around to reveal the miage of Megan and Michael trapped in the trunk.

"Michael! Megan! You wouldn't!" said Sara turning from the mirror to him.

"Of course not my dear! That is entirely up to you. If not, then I really do fear for the children!" said Ramsley leaving Sara to hang her head in defeat. Ramsley said to a submitted Ezra and Emma with their heads bowed,

"Have her ready...and this time, any further acts of insubordination will be dealt with in the harshest manner."

"But sir!" protested Emma. Ramsley snapped his head around to her and glared with a growl to his voice,

"There are worst things than purgatory Madam! I assure you! Have her ready!"

&&&

Will and Elizabeth landed roughly on the ground outside the trash shoot they had found themselves in. Will groaned as he sat up clutching his head,

"Elizabeth, are you okay?"

"I will be once I kill that bloody butler!" hissed Elizabeth as Will helped her to her feet.

"He's already dead!"

"Then I'll settle for a bloody pirate! Come on!" she said making her way around the house with him following behind.

&&&

Edward Gracey came down dressed in a Russian military style gray suit smiling happily. Ramsley was behind him in a clerics robe for he would be performing the ceremony. Ezra was playing the Bridal march on the organ, (even though it was out of key) and Miss St. Clarie had told Ramsley she insisted on being the maid of honor, making her the only guest in the house who stayed. She was dressed in a lovely lavendar square neck silk gown with silver embroidery and three quater lenght sleeve and a series of bustles trailing behind her. Her wild curly hair was piled high on top of her head and she held some blue forget-me-nots in her hands. And his Elizabeth was finally dressed in her wedding gown looking every inch a princess. At least, that's all that Edward thought was happening. He had yet to see Ezra's somber face as he played, or that Stacey's hands were bound with thick glowing rope. Stacey started,

"Mr. Gracey! Stop...ah!" She cried out in pain for the ropes were sqeezing her wrists painfully. She looked up at Ramsley whose eyes dimmed from a fiery red in warning. She turned to a concerned Mr. Gracey and smiled lying through her teeth,

"Congratualtions!" Edward smiled and mouthed 'Thank you!' but his face fell again when he saw Sara step closer. There were tear streaming down her face. Edward looked to Ramsley who told him,

"Tears of joy!"

&&&

"Any ideas?" asked Jim to Jack as they sat aganist the car.

"Not a ruddy one!" said Jack.

"Well, thanks man anyway. Even if we lost, I'm glad to have gotten to know you!" said Jim reaching out for his hand. Jack shook it saying,

"This never would have happened if I hadn't been such a greedy cad! Now I never know if Stacey...ah forget it!" said Jack rubbing his face as Jim pulled out of his pocket Sara's watch. She had given it back to him when they fought eariler that evening about coming to the mansion. That seemed so long ago.

"What are you doing?" asked Madame Leota. They both looked up and saw her roll up to them. How she got out of the house by herself, they didn't quite know and at this point, they didn't quite care. Jim told her,

"Hey, you leave us alone. Just get out of here and leave us alone!"

"Oh I see, you two are just going to sit there feeling sorry for yourselves.!" Leota said.

"You tell me why not?" demanded Jack as Jim went on,

"This whole thing was my fault! We should have never been here in the first place! Suppose to be at the lake! We'd be sitting by a warm fire right now. I made us come here and now its too late!"

"No, it's never too late!" Leota told them kindly.

"Hey look, I tried! Jack tried! We tried to get in there and we can't alright?" Jim complained.

"You try, you fail. You try you fail. But the only true failure is when you stop trying!" Leota told them.

'What do you want us to do huh?" asked Jim.

"Try again." Leota said.

"I really hate gypsies!" sighed Jack.

"Jack!"

"William?" asked Jack as he and Jim stood. The Turners ran up to them and Will said,

"We have to hurry! Ramsley's..."

"We know! Ramsley killed Gracey's Elizabeth and he'd trying to convince Gracey that Sara is Elizabeth so the curse will be lifted!" said Jack.

"Ramsley killed Elizabeth?" asked Elizabeth Turner.

"That's more than we knew!" said Will.

"Yeah and he's going to kill Sara right after she marries Gracey!" said Jim.

"So what do we do?" asked Elizabeth.

"Nothing, Mrs. Turner!" Jack jumped as Barbossa and his crew surrounded them from out of nowhere.

"Not these guys again!" whined Jim.

"Back for more Barbossa? How's your headache?" asked Jack mockingly.

"Better since I won't make that mistake again! Kill 'em!" Barbossa ordered. Jim jumped,

"Why does everyone automatically want to kill us around here?"

"You don't want to be doing that mate!" Jack warned him.

"Why don't I want to be doing that?"

"Because we have to tell Mr. Gracey that Ramsley killed Miss Henshaw." Jack told him satisfied with wiping the smirk off Barbossa's face.

"Hold you're fire!" Barbossa said coming forward. Pintel grunted in disaproval as he and the other's lowered their weapons. Barbossa sighed,

"What's this business of Ramsley killing Mr. Gracey's love?"

"Just as I said. The curse will only be lifted if the truth is known. And the truth can't be known if we don't get in there. Besides, I remember you always followed the code when it came to not harming children. And Ramsley has them right now. And I'll bet he'll threaten to kill them if Sara doesn't play along and act like she's Elizabeth." said Jack.

"Besides Barbossa. If you help us...you'll help break the curse of 999 souls. I believe that's one hundred and eleven souls more than you need to lift the curse of you and your crew!" added Will.

"Nice little bonus!" said Elizabeth.

"You've become a proper pirate, Mr. Turner. I'm impressed!" said Barbossa.

"So what say you Barbossa? Put aside our differences for a few moments to accomplish the greater goal?" asked Jack. Barbossa stroked his beard before barking,

"Mr. Ragetti! Go through the front door and open it!"

"Aye Cap'n!" said Ragetti floating over. But before he could react, he slammed into the door and fell to the ground, his wooden eye popping out.

"Me eye!" he cried searching the ground for it. Barbossa grunted as Jack stuck out his tongue and Jim screwed up his face in disgust,

"Well, I hope you have something up your sleeve Jack Sparrow!"

"Jack, there's a secret tunnel in the warehouse by the river!" said Will.

"Will no! That will take too long! Jack surely you have an idea!" said Elizabeth.

"Why am I ruddy suppose to come up with the ideas around here?" asked Jack snapping at her. Elizabeth charged him and began pushing on his chest,

"Because you're Captain Jack Sparrow! You sacked Nassua port without firing a shot, slipped under the noses of ten agent's of the East Indian Trading Company!"

"Only seven!" said Jack sheepishly.

"You are going to think of something and you are going to think of something right now!" she barked sending chills into all the men's spines. Jim looked to his car and then to a small hill before smiling and patting Jack's shoulder,

"I got it!" He pointed to some pirates, "You, you and you! Come with me!" The pirates were confused but none so more than Jack who said,

"That's interesting!"

&&&

"Move those timbers you maggot ridden flea bags! Move!" ordered Barbossa as his men were working on cutting down and pulling up the dead trees to make a make shift ramp up to the window. Meanwhile, Jim swiftly drove his car in reverse up the small hill and exclaimed,

"Hang on!"

"With what?" asked Leota from her spot in the passenger seat.

"Do you really think this will work?" asked Elizabeth from the back inbetween Will and Jack.

"Maybe!" said Jim.

"This is madness!" protested Will.

"Or brilliance depending on who you ask!" remarked Jack with a shrug. Jim waited for Barbossa to nod to him and that's when Jim shifted into gear and floored it up the ramp sending the car flying towards the conservatory window. Everyone in the car screamed,

"AAAHHHHH"!

&&&

Edward reached for Sara's hand,

"Elizabeth?" Sara looked to Gracey who nodded grimly. She took his hand and said,

"Yes my love!" Edward was estactic. He finally thought Elizabeth remembered. Now their marriage would be a happy one. He whispered to her,

"Darling, I know you must fear dying again. But don't worry! We'll finally be together! It will all work out for the best!" As he gave her hand a gentle squeeze, that's when Sara realized with a start that Edward wasn't in on this wicked plot. He really just thought she was Elizabeth. She looked to Stacey for confrimation who nodded sadly, then offered a weak smile trying to comfort the woman as Ramsley began to open his bible to find the verses for the ceremony.

&&&

The crash was loud and damaging smashing the piano to pieces. And sending debri flying outside. Jim, Jack and the Turners got out of the wrecked car as the pirates all floated in yelling a battle cry. Jim told Leota,

"I'll be right back!" She was trapped with the airbag pressing aganist her crystal ball in the seat as she mumbled,

"Ok, I'll just wait right here!" Jack was about to follow Jim when Will stopped him,

"Jack!" Jack turned to see Will handing him his sword. "You might need that!" Seeing Will had his sword strapped around him, Jack replied smugly as he straped his sword on,

"Never change Whelp!" Will smiled at that until they reached the foyer where they saw with a start thrity or so rotten walking corspes creeping out of a trap door in the floor.

"Now what?" asked Elizabeth. Barbossa stepped forward pulling out his sword,

"Well take care of them, stop that wedding!" Jim and the Turners started to edge around to the armory as Jack made his way up the stairs. Barbossa yelled a battle cry and lead his crew into the fight of the century of ghost pirates fighting zombies.

&&&

"Dearly, beloved we are gathered together in the sight of God to join this man and this woman in the bonds of holy matrimony. " said Ramsley as Sara hung her head sadly while Stacey was looking despertly around the room trying to think of something.

&&&

Jim and the Turners stopped short before the armory seeing the trunk Megan and Michael were in hanging from a chain at the end of the hall. They heard the children exclaim,

"Dad! Help us!"

"Michael! Megan!" said Jim ready to rush in. But Will held him back upon seeing the suits of armor turn their heads to them and step down from their places perpared to fight.

"This just keeps getting better and better!" said Will before he, Elizabeth and Jim rushed in. Meanwhile, Ramsley said in the ballroom,

"Wilt thou take this woman to live together in the holy state of matrimony?"

"I do!" smiled Edward as out in the armory, Will parried with a samurai suit and Elizabeth swung a chair at a Scottist suit of armor. Jim ducked two swipes at him as Ramsley asked Sara in the other room,

"And do you, Elizabeth Henshaw, take this man to be your lawful wedded husband to have and cherish in death as you did in life?"

"I do." said Sara miseralby. Just one room away, Jim fell to the ground just catching an axe at his head as he screamed,

"Whoa! Ahh!" Inside, Ramsley took a wine cup and poured the powdered poison in it as he said.

"From this day forward, you shall be joined together as one until the very end of time." He began to pray in Latin while Will and Elizabeth finished up tearing apart the last suits of haunted armor. Ramsley continued in English before handing the cup to Elizabeth and Stacey took a breath,

"What God has joined together, let no man put asunder." Outside, Jim and Elizabeth lowered the trunk while Will worked on the lock with his sword. When it broke free, Megan, Michael held out their arms to their father crying,

"Dad!"

"Dad!" Murray gratefully licked Will's nose as he handed him to Elizabeth. Jim then turned from his children to open the doors to the ballroom just in time to hear Ramsley ask as Sara placed the cup to her lips and took a small drink,

"If anyone has any objections..."

"Yeah I've got a few objections!" yelled Jim followed by the kids and the Turners. Just then, from a hidden spot on the balcony, Jack swung down a chandelier rope and grabbed Stacey off the alter distracting Ramsley and Gracey enough so Sara could pick up her skirts and happily run into Jim's arms. The chandelier of course, crashed down on the other side of the room as Jack cut the rope away from Stacey's wrists as she exclaimed,

"JACK!"

"You okay Luv?" asked Jack smiling into her eyes. Stacey grinned as she hugged his neck,

"Now that you're here!" Jim pulled Sara back and said,

"The next time I say we're going to the lake, we're going to the lake!"

"Let's go!" nodded Sara hugging his neck again. Then their faces fell when they heard a threatening voice,

"Get away from her!" Sara turned to see Edward stepping down from the alter pulling out the sword from his side as he continued,

"I lost her once, I don't intend for it to happen again!" As Sara rushed to hug her children Jim told him,

"This is not Elizabeth! Ramsley! You tell him the truth!" Ramsley said,

"I don't know what you're talking about!"

"Oh now you got amnesia huh? Elizabeth didn't kill herself, he did it! He's been lying to you all along!" Angered now that this upstart would insult the man he looked up to as a father, Edward pointed his sword at Jim,

"I'm warning you sir! Step away!"

"Don't think cause you pull out your sword I'm going to let you marry my wife!" Jim told him.

"My patience is wearing thin! Elizabeth, please come along!" Edward told Sara who shook her head,

"I'm not Elizabeth!" Edward looked at her with disbelief,

"You must be!"

"Her name is Sara she's from New Jersey! Ramsley wants you to think she's Elizabeth so this curse will be lifted!" said Jim. Ramsley said,

"That is absurd!" Ready to lunge for Jim, Edward whispered,

"Forgive me!"

"Whoa!" cried Jim stepping back. But Edward's sword was stopped by a dull cutlass blocking it. Edward looked to Jack and saw the dangerous glint in his eyes.

"If there is to be any sword play, it shall be with a man who knows what he's doing..." Jack ran his blade up and down Edwards sword before adding, "Savvy?" Jack attacked leaving Edward to struggle to defend himself. The Evers were in awe of the skill and footwork this pirate pocessed and Stacey's jaw just went to the floor as Murray covered his eyes with his paws. But Edward unmanifested and reappeared behind Jack. Will ran forward sword drawn as he blocked Gracey's attack,

"Jack watch out!" And this began a long battle between Jack, Will and Edward Gracey. Gracey would keep dissapearing and reappearing blocking and attacking Jack and Will. Finally he knocked Will to the floor and batted the sword out of Jack's hand.

"Will!" cried Elizabeth rushing to her husbands side.

"Jack!" yelled Stacey. But Edward was stopped once again, with Jim holding his arm back. Jim said holding up the red envelope as Gracey looked at him,

"If you are going to kill me, kill me! But listen, when I come back on the other side I'll just be whipping your butt for all eternity! So maybe you should read this before you stab somebody! Read it!" In curiousity, Edward took the letter and asked,

"What is it?"

"It's Elizabeth letter, her real letter, the one she wrote, the one he stole! You never saw it!" said Jim with a glare to Ramsley as Edward read the letter. Stacey helped Jack step away asking,

"You alrigh'?"

"Aye, I'm fine lass." Jack told her keeping his eye on Gracey.

"Good 'cause I'm gonna shoot you! Don't ever do that again!" said Stacey batting his shoulder as Jack grinned a little at her. Edward's face fell and he turned to Ramsley and asked,

"What's the meaning of this?"

"Must we continue to listen to the rantings of a lunatic?" asked Ramsley.

"But this is written in her hand!" said Edward.

"Yeah it's written in her hand, explain that Ramsley!" added Jim behind him.

"I think he's got this Mate!" said Jack to Jim. Edward demanded,

"Well?" Ramsley was silent for a minute before saying,

"Your union was unacceptable. I tried to warn you but you wouldn't listen!"

"So you killed her." said Edward with anger to his voice.

"I told you it be a mistake to run away with that girl!" said Ramsley.

"But I loved her! Was love my mistake?" barked Edward. Ramsley roared with bitterness,

"Yes! I've tried to protect you! All these years I've sacrificed, for you! But what would you understand about sacrifice, duty and honor? You loved her! Well, damn you sir! Damn you all to hell!" His eyes roared to life with red fire as flames engulfed the fireplace and the bricks fell away to reveal the pit into hell itself. Screaming ghosts flew in from the windows and flew all over the room. Then Stacey heard a series of voice's coming back to her memory.

_" But maybe the reason you were meant to help us was so you can face your fears..." _

_"To your fate and your Corsair love!"_

"_Look inside yourselves and become what you were meant to be. Look into the glass to find what you need to defeat this evil is the key!" _Stacey reached for the silver half mirror in the pocket of her dress and then looked to the fireplace. There on the mantel was a small inset, the exact same shape as the mirror. Picking up her skirts, Stacey ran forward.

"Stacey no!" yelled Jack chasing her. Before she was pulled back, she threw the mirror towards the fireplace. The mirror flew into place in the inset and glowed a bright green. Suddenly, a great dragon made of fire shot up from the pit and circled the room, everyone cowering in fear.The dragon whipped out its tongue and wrapped itself around Ramsley who screamed,

"AAAHH!" He was flung up into the air and the dragon was pulling him towards the fireplace. But Ramsley decided to act out one act of revenge. He grabbed Jim around the ankle and pulled him screaming along with him,

"AAAAHH!"

"Jim!" yelled Sara trying to rush forward. Jim managed to grab onto the edge of the firey pit and was losing his grip as Ramsley held on tight. But the fire creature gave one last roar and pulled tight on Ramsley and made him lose his hold on Jim. He fell down, down, down screaming and becoming engulfed by the flames as Jim watched wide eyed. But then his expression became even more terrified as his started to slip. Suddenly, Jack and Gracey appeared over the edge, each grabbing an arm before Jim fell. They pulled him up and out and all three of them watched amazed as the fireplace returned the stonework to seal the opening and the mirror popped out and floated down to where Jack could reach it. But before they could breath easier, they heard Megan cry out,

"Mom!"

"Mom!" cried Michael as Jim turned to see Sara collapsed on the floor. Elizabeth held her head in her lap as Megan asked,

"Mom what's wrong? Are you alright?"

"Mom?" asked Michael being held back by the shoulder by Will and Stacey. Murray whimpered near Sara and nudged his nose to her gloved arm.

"Hey, hey! Sara? Sara? What's the matter? Hey Sara, what's wrong? Hey what's the matter? What's wrong?" said Jim as he rushed over and sat on the floor gathering Sara in his arms. Ezra cried out in dispair,

"It's the poison!"

"Oh no! No, hey Sara come on please? Don't do this! Sara don't do this please! Sara! Sara! I love you! Sara please I love you so much!" begged Jim as Sara looked hazily up and said softly,

"Jim..." She closed her eyes and slumped her head back.

"No!" cried Megan as Elizabeth held her in her arms. Will comforted her brother who had begun to cry soft tears into his side. Jack exchanged glances with Stacey and saw she was on the verge of tears too, so he stepped over and gathered her in his arms. Seeing Jack and Will exchange a sorrowful look, Edward hung his head. He never felt so quilty in all his life...and all his death. The pirate crew came in laughing and clapping each other on the back for a job well done, but they all stopped behind Barbossa who looked on with a stunned expression on seeing the young mother dead. The pirates hung their heads in moarning, some taking off their hats or scarfs in respect. Then they all took notice of a soft blue glow coming from the other side of the room. They all looked up seeing a small blue ball of light floating towards them. Still on the defense and enraged that he couldn't save his wife, he yelled to it,

"Hey! Get away from us leave us alone!" Elizabeth stopped Will from advancing on it by touching his arm as Megan told her father,

"No, Dad! It won't hurt us!" They all watched in silence as the ghost ball floated over Sara and then entered her body. A soft white light was coming from the ceiling. Everyone looked up and saw the rafters of the cathedrial ceiling were gone and swirling blue clouds were in its place. The soft white light was one ray of warmth and serenity. Suddenly, the glow began to engulf Sara and she started to lift out of Jim's arms and up over their heads. Everyone stood and backed away a little bit watching as Sara was lifted back upright. She opened their eyes but Jim didn't see Sara in them. He saw someone else. He saw,

"Elizabeth? Is that you?" asked Edward becoming estactic. In a more formal tongue than Sara's and with a slight accent, Elizabeth answered warmly,

"Yes my love!"

"The ghost ball was Elizabeth!" exclaimed Megan beginning to smile. Elizabeth Henshaw explained,

"The truth had to be known for me to be released. They saved me!" Seeing her gaze directly to Jim and Jack beside him, Edward thought to himself that they were the most unlikely of heroes. A pirate captain from the 17th century and a businessman who wouldn't stop talking. Jack gave him a wink and Jim smiled and muttered to Gracey,

"It was nothing!" Edward directed his gaze back at his Elizabeth and sighed happily,

"Oh Elizabeth!"

"Yes, my darling?" asked Elizabeth Henshaw starting to float down to the ground.

"I've waited so long of this moment!" said Edward. Landing in front of Edward, Elizabeth smiled,

"And now only heaven awaits!" With that said, Edward pulled his darling Elizabeth into a long passionate kiss. Will and Elizabeth exhanged smiles as Stacey's jaw hit the floor again. Looking to his kids who were looking questionably at him, Jim chuckled and said,

"He's not really kissing your mom!" Jack added amused,

"And he's not really sticking his tongue in her mouth!" Jim turned to Jack and asked still chuckling but this time a bit nervously,

"What?" A few more seconds went by and Stacey observed,

"Guess they're makin' up for lost time huh?" Jim finally tapped Gracey's shoulder and said as they broke the kiss and looked at him,

"That's my wife?" Elizabeth Henshaw looked to Edward and then stepped forward to Jim. Jim frowned when he looked into her eyes and said,

"Sara?" A flash of light appeared around Sara and she collaped forward in Jim's arms. She fluttered her eyes open and lifted her head looking into Jim's eyes,

"Jim?" Jim smiled warmly,

"I thought I lost you!" Sara flung her arms around his neck and cried,

"Oh! I thought I lost you too!" Jim pulled her back and said,

"I'm back Sara. I'm back!" One of the pirates happily exclaimed,

"The curse is lifted!" The pirate crew yelled joyously before each one turned into a ball of blue light and floated up the white light and dissappearing from view. Then they heard Emma shout behind them,

"Wait! Wait for us! Hold on!" Seeing her arms packed down with suitcases, Ezra asked his wife,

"What's all this?"

"Well I don't know what we'll need!" she told him.

"What are you talking about? We're going to heaven! You can't take it with you!" said Ezra. She exclaimed handed him some bags,

"The hell I can't! Oh! Goodbye!" The couple began giving hugs around with Ezra telling Jim while shaking his hand,

"So long!"

"Thank you!" said Emma hugging Jack a little too tightly but never seeing his eyes buldge out. Ezra shook Michael's hand before ushering his wife along,

"Ok little man, alright hurry! Let's go!" They stood in the light and Emma and Ezra waved,

"Bye! Ok here we go!"

"Whoo! Bye bye!" They and their luggage turned into blue balls of light and floated up towards the light. Jack looked over and saw Barbossa coming towards them purpose driven.

"Now Jack. Be nice! Barbossa did help us in the end!" Elizabeth told him. Jack rolled his eyes and said,

"Yeah yeah!" Barbossa stopped before the group saying,

"Well Turners, and Evers alike. It's been a real pleasure. Apoligies for joining up with that scallywag Ramsley and chasing ye all over creation!"

"Well I suppose an old dog can learn new tricks!" replied Jack dryly. Ignoring him, Elizabeth said,

"Thank you Captain Barbossa! From all of us!" He smiled and then extended his hand to Jack,

"No hard feelin's Jack?" Hesitant, Jack slowly crept his hand over and said,

"No hard feelings!" But as he grasped Barbossa hands, he felt a quick jolt of electricity run through him. He cried out letting go,

"Whoa!" Barbossa threw his head back and laughed,

"Just a little ghost-mortal humor Jack Sparrow!" Then he looked down at Stacey and said softly, "Best keep an eye on him Miss! Jack Sparrow's a hard man to predict!" And being a pirate, Barbossa gave Stacey's bottom a night forceful pat as she cried,

"OH!" Barbossa laughed and tipped his hat to the Evers and the remaining ghosts,

"Evers family! Sir!"

"Captain!" smiled Jim waving to him as he stepped towards the light.

"Whose side is he on!" whispered Megan confused,

"At the moment?" shrugged Will. Barbossa stepped into the light looking up. He shut his eyes in ectasy and spread out his arms,

"I feel...wonderful!" And with that, Barboosa's form was gone and his blue ball spirit flew up towards the heavens.

"Figures he wouldn't go the other way!" muttered Jack as Stacey slapped his shoulder. Edward stepped before the group and asked,

"Can you ever forgive me?"

"Oh, what's to forgive? You loved her." Jim told him. Edward said to Jack and the Turners,

"I don't even know how to thank you." Jack told him with a wink,

"Just put a good word for us on the other side!"

"I will, but I still feel as if I should give you something for all that you've done. Ramsely told me you were from the past. So I have nothing to give you that you could take back." Will smiled,

"We got what we came for Mr. Gracey!" Jack muttered looking at Stacey,

"And then some!" Jack looked up and saw Gracey had seen him. Edward smiled knowingly then produced a rolled up piece of parchment and handed it to Jim.

"I do know how to thank you. Here, take this." Jim asked,

"What is it?"

"The deed to this house. It's yours." Edward told them as Jim and Sara looked at each other in disbelief. He continued backing up into the light, "Do with it what you will. Sell it. Keep it! Do whatever makes you and your family happy!" He reached out and took his Elizabeth by the hand, who was now dressed in the yellow gown they had seen in her portrait. Edward smiled at his love and added to them, "And thank you. Thank you all so much!" Then he and his love started to float up towards the heavens spinning around like they were waltzing. They changed into two balls of light still spinning around as they floated up towards the heavens joining hundred of others who floated up from the graveyard and into the clouds over the house, shining like the stars of the night sky.

&&&

A few minutes later, Jim and the kids were waiting down in the front hall when Sara came down dressed in her normal clothes again.

"Feel better?" asked Jim giving his wife a kiss.

"Much! The dress was beautiful and everything, but it was a little creepy to wear a dead person's dress!" Sara laughed hugging her son.

"We just faced a household full of ghosts and you think just wearing a dress was creepy?" asked Jim in disbelief. Sara shook her head and then looked up to see the Turners dressed once again in their 17th century wedding attire.

"Oh Elizabeth! Is that your wedding dress?" asked Megan. Elizabeth smiled,

"Yes it is!"

"It's gorgeous!" said Sara as she and Megan began talking with Elizabeth about clothes. Jim and his son exchanged bored looks and said,

"Girls!" Will shook his head amused and then looked up when he heard Jack say,

"Everybody ready to cast off?" The Evers were taken aback by Jack's pirate garb from his blue wool coat and gray blue knickers and yellowed poet shirt to his scabbard and red and white sash that tied around his waist. Looking him up and down from his brown leather tricorne to his folded over boots, Jim said to Jack,

"Wow! You really are a pirate, huh?"

"Just don't tell him he's the best pirate in the Caribbean or his ego will get terribly inflated!" joked Elizabeth in a dry tone. As everyone chuckled, Michael exclaimed,

"I want to be a pirate when I grow up!" Jim chuckled and told him patting his cheek,

"Don't even think about it!" Jack's amused expression turned serious when he asked,

"So where's the fair Miss St. Claire?"

"She's in the library!" said Megan. Jack put his hands together in a prayer of thanks to her as he turned and walked into the library. As he pushed aside the curtain, he stopped seeing Stacey still in the lavender gown looking out the broken conservatory window over the car. She looked like an angel in the moonlight. Murray barked and walked up to Jack happily wagging his tail. Jack picked up the small dog and rubbed his ears as Stacey looked over her shoulder at him for a second and then turned back to the view outside,

"Look!" Jack did look and he saw the graveyard was being replaced with a vast rose garden. Stacey continued, "Everytime a ghost leaves, its grave becomes a rosebush! Ain't it pretty?" Looking at her and not the new garden, Jack said softly,

"Beautiful!" Stacey looked at him and took in his pirate garb like the Evers did earlier.

"That look really suits ya!" Looking directly at that cleavage he loved so much, Jack said,

"As does that dress, Luv!" She laughed,

"Well, I figured I never met the former owner so it wasn't weird!" Jack chuckled softly a moment, before digging into his pocket and pulling out carefully folded bills of money and placed it in her palm.

"A grand total of three hundred dollars and..." He pulled out the business card and placed it in her other hand, "One business card guarantee to fame and fortune!" Looking at the business card, Stacey said,

"Funny, after all this...this don't seem so important anymore..." Jack tilted her chin up and said,

"You listen to me Stacey St. Claire. You're going to go on with your life and do what you love. All I pray is...is that you find your happiness...and remember me from time to time, Savvy?" Stacey was stunned silent at his words. When had he said them before? Looking at her lips Jack added, "And something else..." He began to lean his head towards her watching as her eyes shut in anticipation. Just then, Will entered the room and asked,

"Jack?" Jack backed away just as Stacey groaned,

"Oh wait!" Not noticing Stacey's outburst, Elizabeth came in followed by the Evers and said,

"Come on Jack, the moon is almost on the horizon!" Jack looked to Stacey and said sadly,

"I best be getting along." Stacey nodded as Jack handed her Murray and rubbed his ears,

"Yeah, you want to get back. Don't want to change history or nothin'!"

"Yeah...goodbye Stacey!" said Jack. Stacey nodded and said her goodbyes to Will and Elizabeth as she crossed the room to join the Evers family.

"Evers!...Ta!" He shook Jim's and Michael's hand and then stepped aside to let Will and Elizabeth say one final goodbye.

"Wait Jack! They shouldn't be in the room, they might get pulled in with us!" exclaimed Will.

"Hmm...good point!" said Jack thinking it over. Jim looked to the desk and said,

"Wait a second!" he walked over to the desk and pulled the head back on the small stone bust. The secret passage opened and Jim stopped his family and Stacey saying, "Wait a second here!" He pulled the large chair over to the side of the entrance and then beckoned them inside. He stepped in, pulling the chair behind him and using it to block the door from closing all the way. "Ha! Okay, go ahead!" he told them. Jack arched an eyebrow but pulled his half of the mirror out as Elizabeth pulled hers out and handed it to Jack. He placed them together and the two halves sealed shut with a green glow. They all read the incantation,

"Recite the mirror's inscription if that be thy choice. Defy time and place to find what the soul must seek, but return home again before the next full moon descends from its peak!" The mirror floated out of Jack's hands and it began to grow again a strong wind picking up again. Instantly, they were pulled forward into the green mirror that rippled and then shrunk back down to normal size floating gently to the floor.

"Wow!" exclaimed Jim. Stacey sighed sadly,

"Goodbye Captain Jack Sparrow!"

She and the Evers left the library after Jim struggled for ten minutes to get to door back open. He took the kids up to bed with a promise they'd leave in Stacey's jeep in the morning. Sara and Stacey were now in the kitchen. Sara was looking around for some tea, but she pulled a few knives out of the cabinet door and looked strangley at it, wondering what went on in here. Jim entered and took the boiling water off the stove top, the teapot's whistle dying down. His jacket was off now as he told Sara,

"Took forever to get them to bed."

"Where they still scared?" asked Sara handing him some teacups.

"Nah, your daughter was too busy talking on her cell phone...FYI we have reception again...and your son was too wired and talking about how he's going to be a pirate!" Sara smacked his arm and hissed,

"Jim!"

"What?" asked Jim confused. He followed Sara's nod over to Stacey who was sitting at the kitchen table, looking at the business card she held before her face with her chin resting in her hand, still dressed in that lavendar gown only now her wild curls were spilling down her back again. He mouthed 'Oh!' as Sara placed the teacups on the table saying,

"Stacey are you okay?" Stacey shook her attention away from the card and said,

"Hmm? Oh! Oh yeah I'm fine! Just wonderin' when I should call Mr. Brockton, that's all!" Pulling some teabags out of a glass jar he found, Jim said,

"Why don't you call him now?"

"Jim it's the middle of the night!" said Sara as she poured the hot water in the teacups.

"It's three o'clock in the morning! Besides these record producer types propably pull all nighters anyway! You should go ahead and call him!" said Jim

"Well..." said Stacey placing a teabag in her cup and dipping it a few times. Sara reached over and grabbed her hands,

"Stacey...you miss Jack don't you?" Stacey smiled,

"Well yeah...I only knew him such a short time...but I felt so close to him! He's a good friend to have!"

"Are you sure there wasn't anything else between you?" asked Sara. Stacey closed her eyes, seeing Jack's face smiling at her.

"I know there was. But there's nothing I can do about it. He had to go back. Jim...can I use your cell phone. I'm gonna call Mr. Brockton." she said. Jim pulled out his cell phone and handed it to her. She stood and leaned against the wall nearby punching the numbers in. She waited a few more rings and was about to hang up before someone answered,

"_Hello, Tony Brockton's office, this is Tony!" _

"Mr. Brockton? You don't know me but I'm Stacey St. Claire. I've sent you a few demos and I was wondering if it's possible I could come audition for you in person?" asked Stacey.

"_Miss St. Claire! Thank God! I've heard you're demos and I was in Alabama a few says ago to hear you play!" _he said.

"You did?" she asked.

_"Yeah...I must admit I got myself drunk and I left forgetting to talk to you. By the time I sobered up you were gone without a forwarding address! I've had my staff working non stop to try and find you! Thank God I came back from a party and decided to stop by my office!"_ he told her.

"So you like my sound?" she asked.

_"I love it! Where are you?" _he asked.

"New Orleans." she told him smiling a bit at the Evers.

_"Great, I'm going to buy you a plane ticket and fly you up here. As far as I'm concerned you are our next sensation!"_ he exclaimed.

"Really?"

_"Absolutly, so what so you say?"_ he asked.

"Stacey..." Stacey looked over and saw Madame Leota roll into the room. Jim jumped out of his chair,

"Hey! Why didn't you go with everybody else?"

"Eh, I'm a rebel! Stacey...before you agree to anything...listen to your heart. What is it telling you?" asked Leota. Stacey looked unseeing at her as Mr. Brockton asked on the other end,

_"Miss St. Claire? Miss St. Claire? Hello? Are you there?" _

&&&

In the year 1675, Governor Weatherby Swann entered the library and walked over to his desk. He shifted a silver half mirror out of the way so he could pick up a worn china doll with golden brown hair. He had bought it for Elizabeth when she was born. He smiled thinking of how she told him while putting it in the box that her favorite doll should go make another child happy. However, that did not stop Governor Swann from taking the doll out and placing it on one of his book cases. He couldn't believe his little baby was married and off somewhere probably enjoying an early wedding night. Ah youth! He was just about to walk out and say goodnight to his lingering guests, when a green vortex opened up just on the open balcony and deposited Will, Elizabeth and...

"Captain Sparrow! Elizabeth, what's going on? What's the meaning of this?" Governor Swann demanded of his daughter as Will helped her to stand and Jack got up on his knees, grabbing his lower back as a loud crack was heard. Elizabeth rushed forward happily,

"Father! We're back!"

"Back? Back from where?" asked Governor Swann as Elizabeth hugged his neck. Will turned from his bickering wife and father-in-law to see Jack leaning out on the balcony railing looking over the setting sun. He join Jack and asked putting a hand to his shoulder,

"You okay?" Jack shook his head and sighed in a depressed tone,

"I'll live!"

"Do you want to admit you care for Stacey now?" asked Will.

"Why, ain't like there's nothing I can ruddy do about it is there? It wouldn't have been fair to stay with her. She has her own dreams! At least I can see her in mine!" shrugged Jack trying to hide his pain. But Will saw his usual spark was gone. Will said,

"I'm never going to figure you out Jack Sparrow!"

"Captain, Captain Jack Sparrow!" said Jack jokingly. Then Jack told him, "I'll be okay, Will. Just a little lonely that's all!" Will smiled and nodded,

"I better go help Elizabeth explain things!" Jack stood up straight and followed him back inside saying,

"And I better make myself scarce!" But no sooner had he said that, a crack of thunder and lightning came from behind them and a huge wind picked up.

"What's happening? " asked Swann.

"Elizabeth you didn't read the incantation again did you!" yelled Jack.

"Of course not!" yelled Elizabeth. Another green vortex opened on the balcony and in came running in and barking...

"Murray?" asked the Turners and Jack. As the storm died down, Swann asked as he picked Murray up,

"What's a Murray?"

"Wait...if you're here...then..." started Jack before looking over at the window. There stood Stacey still in that lavendar gown and now leaning aganist the doorframe and a stuffed messanger bag was slung over her shoulder. She smirked and said practically in a purr,

"Nice view ain't it?" Handing Murray off to Swann, Jack stepped forward on the balcony to look down in disbelief at Stacey.

"Told you they get together!" Will whispered to Elizabeth. Elizabeth smiled and whispered back,

"That's the last time I bet a back rub!"

"And I plan to collect tonight!" implied Will grabbing her bottom and giving it a slight squeeze. Elizabeth laughed in her throat and told him,

"You're dispicable!"

"Pirate!" Will told her.

"Elizabeth! Will! Who is that girl? Where'd she come from? What's a Murray!" asked Swann as Murray barked in response to his name. Elizabeth took her father by the arm and led him out with Will following saying,

"Come on Father! It's a rather long story!"

"But, but, but, but!" protested Swann wondering about the pirate and the strange woman. Once they were gone, Jack finally spoke and said,

"Stacey...Luv what are you doing here?" Stacey shrugged,

"Well I got to thinkin'. Being a famous singer is great an' all, but I think I'd perfer a simple life...without a lot of fuss and frills... . A life where I could go where I could go and do what I could do and not worry about what society thought of me...A life of freedom, with every new horizon!" she said taking the messenger bag off her shoulder. Smiling at her words, Jack said,

"I know exactly what you mean Luv!"

"Sides, who needs limos and jets and fabulous clothes and all that attention!" said Stacey taking Jack's tricorne off and trying it on her head. As she shifted it back on her head, Jack nodded,

"Not me for one!"

"Righ'! Well, I guess I don't need this anymore!" she said pulling the business card out of her cleavage satisfied Jack licked his lips in desire. But just as she was about to throw it over the edge, Jack grabbed her wrist, and took the card from her. Seeing a plan in his eye, Stacey just smiled as Jack said looking at the card,

"Milady? Who do you think you are to presume that you can come back to the past, take my hat and throw away the only life you ever knew, for a rouge pirate captain who'd give his very life for you and ravage your naked body senseless every night and maybe twice during the day on Sundays?" Figuring out that he had just told her he loved her, Stacey stepped foward with her hands on her hips and looked up at him and said defiantely,

"A woman who not only will love ya till the day she dies and let ya ravage her naked body senseless every nigh' and maybe three times on Sundays...but a woman wondering whatca gonna do about it?" Tossing the business card over the balcony, Jack pulled her to him and kissed her with all the pent up passion he had been holding in since he met the woman. She wrapped her arms around his neck, her hands getting tangled in that mess of brown seaweed he called his hair returning the kiss for all she was worth as the red sun set behind them.

&&&

An image of Jack and Stacey could be seen in the green crystal ball until it faded away to Madame Leota who chanted in rhyme,

"Angels in heaven together at last, the tale is well ended for those who have pasted. Love endures all, no reason no rhyme. It lasts forever and forever all time!" From ahead of Leota in the back of the station wagon, Megan whined,

"Mom, Leota won't shut up!"

"Are we there yet?" asked Michael from his seat as his family drove along the bridge from New Orleans over the Mississippi River.

"I'm getting pretty hungry! Can we get some pizza?" asked Megan. Jim asked his wife who was driving to the lake,

" Yeah. How long before we get there, Sara?"

"Twenty minutes tops!" she smiled. Remember their recent adventure, Jim said,

"Nothing takes twenty minutes!" Then he heard through the open window,

_"Do...Do...Do...Do Do Doo!"_

"Hey guys, keep it down!" yelled Jim back to the four singing busts who were tied to the top of the luggage. They sang in reply to the tune of "The Saint's Go Marchin' In',

_"We'll keep it down, (We'll keep it down!) We'll keep it down! Oh yes we'll try to keep it down! We're driving down the highway, yeah! And we're trying...to...keep...it...down...!" _

The End


End file.
